Bittersweet Sensation
by Xtyne
Summary: Cassie Collins and Alex Shelley have been best friends for years. However they were seperated by an arguement. But now she's back, and taking over TNA. With three best friends, and alot of emotional feelings, will anything go right for this wild woman?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

"Cassie Collins, nice to finally get to meet the woman behind the name." Larry Zbyszko smiled across the table.

"Thanks, thanks for having me." A young 21-year-old female returned a nervous smile.

"I'm actually glad you signed with us and not the WWE. I'm glad we have the power over them in a way." He admitted.

Cassie shrugged, her shoulder length natural dirty blonde hair bobbing along with. "It was an easy decision. This has actual wrestling."

A grin escaped from the much older man. "Good to know others think that way. Anyways, getting down to business. We had you sign a contract, last week some time I remember…"

"Last Tuesday to be exact."

"Right, last Tuesday you signed the contract. We're going to go ahead with you debuting tonight on the PPV, as the man who you're going to managing for was just put onto the card tonight for AAO."

Cassie nodded. "That's fine. So who is this mystery man any who?"

A knock sounded from the door. Larry smiled. "This must be him now. Come in!"

Then, the wood door opened, allowing the view of a fairly tall, well built man walking into the room. He had longer than short black hair, with a streak of white to one side, which contrasted well with his dark eyes.

"Yeah boss?" the man asked.

"Alex!" Cassie stood up, jaw dropped.

"Cassie!" the man, now declared as Alex, exclaimed, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"I take it you two know each other?" Larry asked.

The two, with their eyes still glued in shock on one another, nodded.

"We've known each other since were we nine, ten years old." Alex stated.

"We trained together, worked in most of the same promotions. Well until we kind of had a huge fight and never talked again." Cassie finished.

"Which I still blame you about." Alex folded his arms, eyes teasing his old best friend.

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Well, this takes up less time. Well Alex, Cassie will be the one who will be managing for you. Though I suppose for the time being, since you and Austin and Roderick are working together, we'll have her manage those matches as well. I think that's about it. Since you have a match tonight Alex, you and Cassie might want to discuss when and how she'll be debuting exactly."

"Will do boss. Come on CeCe, time to get you to admit I was right." Alex grabbed the girl's arm, dragging her out of the room groaning.

Once the two were safely outside the office and prying ears, the two embraced tightly.

"Haven't seen you in ages." Cassie told, keeping her arms firmly around his neck.

"Your fault."

"It is not, you're the one who was wrong."

"Nah uh."

"Ya huh."

"Nah uh"

"Ya huh."

"Nah…"

"Please don't say anymore." A new voice interrupted.

The two turned, now facing another man, about as tall as Alex, only with shorter brown hair and instant blue eyes. A small touch of red sparked into Cassie's face as she realized all the other man had on was his spandex ring attire.

"Oh shut it Styles." Alex threw at him.

The other man rolled his eyes with a grin. "So who is this beautiful lil lady?"

A small glare cam from Alex before motioning towards Cassie. "This is Cassie Collins, she's going to start as my manager."

"You two got pretty close in a small amount of time." he smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Oh and since Shelley has absolutely no manners at all, I'm AJ Styles."

Cassie smiled slightly. "You've got that right, this guy doesn't even know the meaning of manners, literally."

"Hey! I'm right here you know." Alex pouted.

"Exactly why I said it Shell Rock." Cassie stuck her tongue out.

"I'm taking you two already know each other then?" AJ guessed.

"Long line of friendship between us two." Cassie stated.

"Well it was nice to meet ya Cassie, but I actually have to jet, I promised some people I'd talk with them before my match. We'll have to get to know each other sometime." AJ smiled.

"Yeah, totally. Oh and good luck in your match, hope you win the title back." Cassie returned the smile.

"Thanks. See ya around." AJ nodded before walking back away.

"Nice guy." Cassie mused, turning back to Alex.

Alex shrugged.

"What?" Cassie asked.

"Nothing." He shrugged again.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "You haven't changed a bit. So you going to show me around this place or what?"

"Maybe, if you say the magic words." Smirked Alex.

"I'll kick your ass if you don't." she warned.

"Like you could." He laughed.

"Remember what happened the last time you said that?" it was Cassie's turn to smirk.

A scowl replaced his smirk before Alex groaned and nodded.

"Come on."

* * *

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Cassie Collins. She's my manager for the next lil bit." Alex introduced the now hyperactive Cassie to Austin Aries and Roderick Strong.

The two new men nodded with smiled as they were introduced.

"Cass, the normal looking one is Roderick, and the one wearing the outfit to make him look completely gay, is Austin Aries." Alex pointed to the two men, smirking at the last comment.

Cassie rolled her eyes and punched Alex tightly.

"Ow, that hurt. When did you get so good?" he pouted, rubbing his arm while Aries and Strong laughed.

"When you got me mad." She smirked.

Alex glared before looking towards his team comrades. "So you guys ready for tonight?"

"Yeah, you?" Roderick asked, finishing tying up his wrestling boots.

"Of course, we all know I'm gonna win." He smirked smugly.

Austin snorted, his back turned to Alex.

"Whatever dude, you're the one who looks gay." Alex insisted.

"You look like a skunk." Austin retorted.

Cassie laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Alex turned and glared.

"Well he is kinda right Al." she stated through gasps of breath.

Austin turned and smirked at Alex. "I like her already."

"Not cool guys. I think I'm gonna go find Jackie. She appreciates me." Alex walked towards the door.

"Hey, you're supposed to be my tour guide!" Cassie shouted at his back.

"You shouldn't call people names." Alex stuck his tongue out at her before leaving the room.

"That was rude." She placed her hands on her hips.

"So do you two know each other?" Roderick walked over.

Cassie nodded. "We've known each other since we were nine."

"Wow, I feel sorry for you. Knowing that guy for that long. Ouch." Austin joked.

"Don't I know it." Cassie agreed.

"Okay!" Alex came back crashing into the room. "When I leave your not supposed to be dissing me behind my back!"

"Dude, were you just standing outside the door?" Roderick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because if you were, seriously, you might consider getting some mental help." Austin smirked.

Cassie stood there and laughed at Alex's face.

"What are you still laughing at?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"That face of yours, it cracks me up." She stated.

"How come you never brought this girl around before, I like her." Roderick grinned.

"That hurts guys. I'm really leaving this time." he turned around.

"You know we still have to talk about tonight." Cassie reminded.

"We have time. You can stay here or go wherever. I'll catch up with ya later." He shouted, leaving the room, for real this time.

"So a slap tonight, or a punch?" Austin asked Roderick.

"I'll go with a slap." He smirked.

Cassie looked at the two confused.

"We're guessing what Jackie will do to Alex when he hits on her." Austin explained, walking over.

"He's been on her tail ever since she came. The two are friends, but he just can't seem to grasp that they're only friends." Roderick nodded.

"Typical Alex then." She rolled her eyes.

"So did you guys train together?" Austin asked after a moment.

Cassie nodded. "At Can Am, along a few others back here."

"Cool. Sorry to abandon you, but we have to go find Chase and Andy and talk about tonight." Austin told.

"Yeah, we'll have to talk later. I wanna hear all those embarrassing stories about Alex." Roderick stated.

"And there's many." Cassie smiled. "Good luck tonight. And we'll definitely have to."

The two nodded and waved before leaving Cassie Collins to her own devices.

* * *

**A/N: okay, a new story. but blame sleeping. i woke up this morning with this idea, really not cool lol. but yeah...anyways...for any of you who are reading my other TNA Fic, Black With A T, the next chapter should come soon, i'm kinda having a writers block. so expect that soon. and for the next one concerning this fic, any time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Cassie walked along through the halls in the TNA studio. Her mind was racing. She still couldn't fully grasp that Alex was here. Well she had always known it, as she's watched the product before. But she never fully took it in. and now she was going to be his manager. She was excited, but at the same time, the thoughts from the past just couldn't help but stir up bad memories. It was because of that that their whole friendship was blown up.

**- - - -**

**_Flash Back_**

**- - - -**

"Why do you always have to be a jerk!" Cassie shouted at Alex, red in the face.

"Why do you always have to be with that bastard, kissing face!" he shouted back, fists clenched.

"Oh like you aren't with lacey all the time doing the same thing!" she accused.

"at least she isn't a two timing bastard!" he retorted.

"Will you two shut up!" Chris Sabin finally stood up, fed up with his two friends fighting.

"This isn't your business Chris so just sit down and shut it." Alex snapped, but kept his glance onto the woman in front of him.

Chris rolled his eyes but sat down all the same.

"These two are never going to stop fighting are they?" Jimmy Jacobs asked quietly to Chris.

"Probably not." He replied with a sigh.

"You would think we'd be used to this." Jimmy raised an eyebrow.

"You'd think."

"You apparently don't know Lacey that well then!" Cassie shouted back at Alex.

"What they hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked in rage.

"Of course you wouldn't know. She'd have more class then to actually let you know that she was sleeping around with other guys."

Alex took a step forward, wiping away the gap between the two young wrestlers.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Alex seethed through his gritted teeth.

Cassie smirked. "Sorry Alex, but that girl has been going around behind your back. Seems you don't satisfy her very well."

Alex narrowed his eyes down at her, not believing a word she was saying. "Like I would believe you. You've been jealous ever since Lacey and I started going out. That's why I paid Evans to go out with you. You really think he, whose the biggest player in the world, would wanna go out with someone like you?"

Cassie's jaw dropped open. She couldn't believe her best friend had paid someone to go out with her. That was below the belt low. That hurt.

"Hurts to know the truth huh?" he stated; now smirking.

"You bastard." She whispered.

"Sorry what was that?"

Cassie did all she could and punched him, a crack sounding from Alex's nose.

"You bitch!" he yelled, grabbing his nose in agony.

"You might not fucking believe me but she is cheating on you Alex. Thanks for ruining my life." Cassie stormed out of the room, tears running down her face.

"Dude, that was kind of low." Jimmy stood up.

"Fuck off." Alex shouted before storming out, only going in the opposite direction.

"What are you going to do with those two?" Jimmy sighed and plopped back down in his seat.

"Suck it up and live with it." Chris shrugged. "I call Cassie, she's easiest."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Fine stick me with him. Watch out though, that was one nasty punch."

"Oh, I've already felt them before." Chris laughed before standing up.

"I say we just lock them in a room together." Jimmy stood as well.

"And let them kill each other? Probably not a good idea." He state with a grin.

"How about we just kill them." Jimmy joked.

"Don't tempt me." Chris rolled his eyes as the two left the room.

* * *

Chris Sabin walked down a hall until he finally heard Cassie crying in a bedroom. He peered in and his heart melted as he watched his good friend crying into her hands. He sighed before slowly walking in and sitting beside her on the bed. Chris immediately brought her into a tight embrace, allowing her to now cry into his shirt.

"Why does he always do this Chris?" she asked between gasps of breath.

"Do what Hun?" he asked, rubbing her back softly.

"He doesn't even act like I'm his best friend. He treats me like he hates me." She trailed off onto another subject.

Chris kissed the top of her dirty blonde head. "I don't know sweetie. He loves you though hunny. He always has and always will. He's just Alex, he's not good with those type of things."

"He's good at showing Lacey how much he cares though." She argued.

He sighed, not knowing what to say. He truthfully didn't know what was going on with Alex lately. He had started acting weird ever since he and Lacey began to go out awhile back. Even since then, to them all, he acted like a stranger.

"Did he really pay Jack to go out with me?" she asked timidly.

Chris looked down at her with sympathy. He knew how much she loved Jack. The two had only been going out for five months, but they seemed like they were meant for each other. But, Alex had been correct when he told her. He had paid Jack off to go out with her.

"Yes." He nodded. "But, before you get any more upset listen to me alright? Jack took the money; a hundred dollars to be exact, and stated he'd take you on a few dates to get you off of Alex's back. But after a week of going out with you, Jack gave the money back to Alex. He said he had really started to like you and didn't want his money anymore. Alex took the money back, and that's when he started hating Jack. The first week of your relationship might have been a lie, but not the last five months. That guy loves you."

Cassie looked up at the sincerity that Chris held.

"Really?"

Chris smiled. "Yeah."

"But why did Alex have to do it at all?" she wanted answers.

"He thought you were jealous, so he wanted you off his back." Chris tried to explain.

Cassie looked down, silent.

"I was kind of jealous." She admitted quietly.

"I know. But why?" he asked.

She shrugged, keeping her head bowed. "He never spent time with me when he started going out with her. We've been best friends since we were nine; we always promised each other that nothing would get between us. But she did. Lacey got between us. I was jealous that he treated her like he treated me a long time ago. She got him and I was left on the curb, waiting for him to come back."

"Hun, just because he has her as a girlfriend doesn't mean he'd forget about you." He tried to reason.

"You were there Chris, did he really act like he cared?" she raised her head.

"No I guess not. But Cassie, he loves you, you two are best friends. Nothing will change that."

"Yes, she did. Now I have nothing." A fresh batch of tears formed in her hazel eyes.

"You have me." Chris stated. "And Jimmy, and Petey, and Traci, and everyone else."

"It's not the same." She stood up and brushed out of Chris' embrace.

"Cassie wait!" he shouted before Cassie fell out of view. Chris sighed before putting his head in his hands. All he was thinking was why all of this had to get so complicated.

* * *

Border City Wrestling

* * *

"Cassie?" Traci Brooks walked into the women's locker room a week later with a concerned face. "You okay girl?"

Cassie looked up from tying up her wrestling boots. She shrugged before going back to tying her boots.

"I heard what happened from Chris. Can't believe Alex actually paid Jack to go out with you." She breathed as she sat down beside her friend. "Have you and Jack talked yet?"

"No, he's in Japan this week. But Chris told me everything. Jack gave the money back because he actually liked me a week into it and all." Cassie explained quietly.

"That's good. At least most of your relationship wasn't a lie. I did hear that you gave Alex a nasty punch. I wish I could have seen it." Traci smiled slightly.

Cassie finished tying her boots and looked at Traci. The two of them had only started to become friends during the time they started working in Border City Wrestling. Not that it was an immediate friendship. They've had their hating times, the times where they wanted to strangle each other. But in the end, they just eventually put everything aside and became friends. It was nice, as for Carrie, Traci was one of the few female friends she had.

"Felt kinda nice." Cassie admitted.

Traci laughed. "You ready for the match tonight. It's a big one. You and Petey vs. Lacey and oddly enough, Alex."

"Somewhat. I'm freaked out though. It's my first cage match in my career. I'm kinda freaked." She stated nervously. "When is it?"

"Soon. That's actually another reason I came to check up on ya. Petey wants to have a convo on what's gonna happen, so you're all on the same page and all." Traci informed. "And don't worry, Petey's been in these kind of matches, I'm sure he'll take care of ya."

"Yeah, I suppose. All right, I'm all dressed anyways. Where is he?" Cassie stood up, a new beat in her move.

"Here I'll take ya." A grin appeared on Traci's lips as she too stood up.

Cassie rolled her hazel eyes before the two walked out.

* * *

"Okay you four, come into the middle." The referee for the match ushered the four wrestlers to the middle of the ring.

Cassie and Petey stole a glance at each other before following orders and standing opposite of Lacey and Alex, with the ref in the middle.

"I want as clean of a match as you guys can make this. You know the rules. The only way to win is for both members to get out of the cage, both feet on the ground. You can either go over the top of the cage, or through the door. I will be outside the door and will open it only when you come to access it. No outside interference. No disqualifications as well. Everyone got it?" the ref explained seriously.

The four looked at each other, glares being thrown, before they all nodded compliantly. The ref returned the nod before leaving the ring, locking the door behind him. The four waited until a loud ring sounded from ringside, signaling the start of the match.

"Remember the plan?" Petey asked quickly, eyeing the other two.

"Yeah." Cassie answered. "You swear this won't end in a hospital visit?"

"No." Petey smiled slightly. "I'll take care of ya though, just concentrate on finding a good time to get out."

Cassie nodded before the two lunged at the others. The match started off slow and easy. Cassie had the upper hand on Lacey, while Alex did with Petey. It went back and forth easily with who was winning, but it was just the start. And better yet, no blood had yet been unleashed. Though, that was not to say that sometime soon, blood would not be seen. It was the case though, half way through the match. Alex had just gotten the Shellshock on Petey when he noticed Cassie was grating Lacey's head across the steel cage. A rush of rage fell through him as he saw his best friend, or what he now referred to as former best friend, hurt the love of his life. He immediately grabbed her by the neck and drew her into the middle o the ring. He twisted her around, angrily glaring at her.

"Don't you fucking dare touch her again." He seethed.

Cassie looked up in shock at her friend. She had never seen him act this way towards her before. She couldn't hide it, it scared her. Alex held this sadistic angry face, allowing his inner rage to be on display.

"Alex, stop being a bloody fool." She tried to reason with him. "It's a wrestling match. I'm supposed to touch her."

Alex gripped onto her arms tightly before giving her a toe kick. Cassie bent down a touch to grab her waist. During that period Alex gave her a swift but powerful DDT. He then dragged her up to her feet and over to the wall of the steel cage.

"This is for ruining my life by knowing you." He muttered harshly before grating her forehead across the steel. She cried out in pain, feeling her skin crack open, allowing blood to flow freely.

Alex eventually let her go, letting her to crumple to the ground from the loss of blood.

"What the hell was that for!" Petey spun Alex around angrily.

"fuck off Petey." He pushed Petey back away from him.

Petey narrowed his eyes. This wasn't the same Alex he had known for years. Cassie, Chris, and Jimmy had been right when they said he had changed since going out with Lacey. He just couldn't fully grasp that this man standing in front of him just hurt his best friend of many years.

"You fucking better not touch her again." Petey speared Alex to the ground taking his rage out on him.

Alex pushed Petey off of him and looked to where lacey was, she was crawling out the door, now only leaving Alex in the ring before they won. A smirk appeared on his face as he got up and did a moonsault on his former friend, Petey. Petey grabbed his mid section in pain as he watched Alex grab Cassie by the hair and drag her to her feet. He then threw her up and delivered a devastating piledriver. Shocks of pain ran through Cassie, as she was temporary immobilized. Alex smirked down with pride at his handiwork before watching Petey stand up.

Petey's eyes met with Cassie's for a brief moment.

"Go!" he shouted, nodding towards the door.

Cassie nodded and crawled painfully to the cage door. She would have reached it if Alex hadn't grabbed her by the waist and threw her across the ring and away from the door. Alex went to the door, but instead of escaping to win the match, he grabbed the chair that lacey held out for him. The door was closed once more and Alex walked towards Cassie sadistically. Petey tried to intervene, but all he got was steel to his forehead, sending him down to the mat. Cassie crawled her way into the corner, trying to make herself invisible but not being successful. She didn't understand why Alex was doing this, but she didn't exactly want to know at this point. All she wanted was to get out of this predicament. But her hopes drew slim as Alex raised her to her feet and shoved the steel into her head, putting her unconscious for the briefest of moments.

Seconds later Cassie came too, though only to witness Alex slipping out of the ring through the door, winning he and Lacey the match. A groan escaped her lips as she found Petey crawling over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, drops of blood running down the side of his face.

As if on impulse, Cassie raised her hand and wiped the blood off his face, Petey smiled slightly as he did the same for her. Only this was much more difficult as she contained much more blood consuming on her skin then he.

"We lost." She muttered softly.

"No biggie, just as long as you're okay." Petey stated.

"I'll be okay, just need a lot of resting." Cassie closed her eyes for a moment before opening them once more. Her eyes widened as she saw Alex slip back into the ring, chair still in hands.

"He's back."

Petey turned around right as a chair was swung at him. Petey flew off to the side, lying limply on the mat. Cassie looked at him in fear before turning her eye direction to Alex. She had no clue there was this much anger in this man she thought was her best friend.

He smirked down upon her before swinging at her one last time, connecting quickly and hard. Darkness crept up on the young woman as she slumped to the mat, just as Petey did.

* * *

Hospital

* * *

"What's wrong with that guy?" Jimmy asked angrily."

"I have no clue. But I'm on the verge of wanting to kick his ass." Chris plunged his fist at the nearest wall.

Jimmy watched as his friend let out his frustration at the wall. They were waiting beside in Cassie and Petey's hospital room. Neither had awakened yet, still left in their rather bad state from the match that had taken place the previous night. The two in the room held worried expressions, as no signs of waking were present from the unconscious. All there was in the room was the rage and anger towards Alex for hurting his own friends the way he did.

"I'm about ready to kill him." Chris muttered. "Bloody bastard should die."

"Chris, killing him wont get us answers, as much as I wish we could just kill him." Jimmy reasoned with his friend.

Chris sighed but nodded. He slowly sat back down in his seat between the two beds. His eyes glanced over Petey's limp body before going to Cassie's. He couldn't help but feel rage seeing her bandaged and unconscious because of Alex. No one knew this, but Chris had secretly crushed on the girl since he first met her. Of course the two had an instant friendship, but Chris saw more in her. But in the back of his mind, he knew nothing would happen. Friendship meant the most to the girl, and with the lack of it being shown from Alex; right now he was all she had, along with Jimmy, Petey, and Traci. Though it did sort of annoy him how Jack hadn't come yet to check up on his girlfriend, even though he had promised to be here this morning. It was 9 pm, and still no Jack Evans. Anger towards him was now starting up in Chris' heart as he knew Cassie wouldn't be able to take it emotionally and mentally if he broke her heart too. Not that she had anything left of it thanks to Alex.

"Starring at her won't make her like you." Jimmy smirked slightly at the sight of his friend.

Chris' head snapped to the side. "What?"

"You like her, it's obvious. Hence why you tend to care for her so much." A shrug came from Jimmy. "No big deal. Who wouldn't like this girl? Petey does, that's for sure."

"Petey likes her?" Chris asked in amazement. "You don't do you?"

"Oh no." he shook his head seriously. "Just in the friend way. She's much too like a little sister to me."

Chris nodded. "Don't let her know alright?"

"You should tell her." He tried to reason.

Chris shook his head no. "she's with Jack anyways. It wouldn't make much of a difference. And anyways, she doesn't need any more confusion in her life right now. She's had enough. I just want her to get through this and be happy."

"See, reason why you should tell her. You care about her more than even Alex did. And Jack isn't here. He lied, and you know darn well he wasn't in Japan. He was off Angel Williams. He always makes up excuses to see her and cheat on Cassie. We keep putting it off to tell her. But maybe since all of this happened we should just let her know. We owe it to her." Jimmy told his friend.

Chris looked at him before eyeing Cassie. Jimmy was right of course. Everyone but Cassie and Alex knew that Jack had been cheating on Cassie for a month or two now. No one knew why he didn't just break it off with Cassie. They just didn't want to hurt the woman they had loved, either like a sister, friend, or much more.

"Hey, I think Becky is trying to call." Jimmy stood up and grabbed the cell phone from his pocket. "Probably seeing if she's okay. I'll be back alright?"

"Yeah." Chris nodded, though not paying attention to him.

Chris was more concerned in watching Cassie. He found himself admiring the way she looked, even when she was hurt. The way her blonde hair was falling into her face, beginning to cover one of her amazing and startling hazel eyes. Those eyes never held anything but emotion. They couldn't show the blank emotions that some of the wrestlers had learned long ago to do. But that's what Chris loved about her. She wasn't afraid to show who she really was. He loved that. He loved how she didn't care about what others thought of her, as long as she kept her reputation alive. She was the wholesome girl who worked for everything. Nothing was handed to her. She grew up in the tough part of Windsor, almost being involved in a shooting when she was only fourteen. But she survived it all and started in Can Am Wrestling, the same time he, Petey, and Jimmy did. Along side of her was Alex Shelley. The two had known each other since grade nine. The two met when Cassie's parents split and her father lived in Detroit. She was doing a summer program there at a camp when the two met. They first hated each other's arrogance. But due to their bickering and they got lost in the woods together, far from camp, they learned to work together and tied together a lifetime friendship. Or so everyone thought. The two kept in touch as Cassie went back and fourth between Windsor, only being minutes away. They seemed inseparable when they first met Chris remembered. They were always the goofballs of their class. Scott D'Amore threatened to actually kick them out of the school if they didn't smarten up their act. The two eventually did as they were here now. They had all graduated the same year. All just a year or less apart, but friends nonetheless. And now here they were. Alex was split because of some girl, and Chris's two best friend lay limply in hospital beds because so.

**- - - -**

**_To be continued_**

**- - - -

* * *

**

A/N: hey, the next edition is up. its mostly made up of the first half of what happened between Cassie and Alex earlier on before TNA. okay, so Lacey might not be in BCW, or BCW might not have a cage match, but lets just pretend lol.

so what else is going to happen that ruined the friendship even more? and how is it that when they saw eachother, they immediately were happy? all that will be seen in the second half of the flashback in the next chapter...enjoy :D

oh one last note, like my other story i wanna know what y'all think. so start thinking up some ideas for a romance. so far i have Alex and Chris in mind. but who know...what do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

A low groan fell from the hospital to the right of Chris. His head popped up as his eyes watched the younger woman start fidgeting.

"Cassie?" he moved closer to her bed.

Cassie's hazel eyes twitched opened before fixing themselves on Chris.

"Hi." A small voice erupted from her throat.

"You okay sweetie?" he asked quickly, bushing some hair out of her eyes.

She winced as she started to sit up. "Totally fine."

Chris frowned. "Don't be so sarcastic all the time. I'm serious, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Chris." She sighed before looking over at the other bed in the room. "Is he okay?"

Chris glanced over his shoulder at Petey, who was now lightly snoring. A small smile appeared on his lips before nodding.

"He'll be fine. Are you sure you're okay?" Chris wanted to be sure.

Cassie sent a small glare at her male friend before looking at her lap. "Can't you just believe me for once."

"No. Considering what happened to you." He stated simply.

"I'm fine Chris, okay? Maybe not 100 percent, but I'll live…I guess." She insisted.

"You had me until I guess. I know you're not okay. I can tell it in your eyes. You can't hide what you feel, you know as well as I that you're no good at hiding your emotions. For once just be honest with me and tell me the truth." Sighed Chris.

Cassie looked at Chris, feeling the worry and concern from the slightly older man. She sighed before nodding.

"It hurts." She said quietly. "Not just the head and injuries from the match…this might sound cheesy so don't make fun. But…my heart kinda hurts."

Chris took her hand, squeezing it gently as he encouraged her to continue.

"I could take Alex and I fighting all the time. But what he did in that match, that hurt beyond belief. It feels like my whole heart split into a million tiny pieces that can't piece themselves together. I never was good at puzzles." She finished, head bowed.

Cassie felt a tear fall quickly down her cheek. Before she could wipe it away as to not let Chris see it, a thumb came and did it for her. She looked over at Chris, a touch surprised by the motion.

"Hey, I know. It hurts beyond belief. Feels like your whole insides were taken from you, shoved from your body while you were awake. It hurts and it will for a while. But always know that you have friends that do care. And I have to say, I am pretty good at doing puzzles myself." He rubbed his hand on her upper arm.

Tears fell from Cassie's eyes once more. Thought this time not in sadness, but for realizing that she had such a good friend sitting in front of her."

"Hey now, you're not supposed to cry from that. It was supposed to make you happy. I should fix my cheering up speeches." He frowned in a joking manner.

Cassie laughed slightly. "I'm not crying cause you made me sad, it's happy tears."

Chris smiled at her before reaching up and embracing the young woman. A spark of happiness swept through him as maybe one day, the woman before him, would finally be happy.

"Where's Jack?" Cassie finally asked once they broke apart.

A scowl replaced the smile on Chris' face as he remembered where he probably was. No, he wasn't in Japan like Cassie thought. Rather, he was more than likely off playing with Angel Williams. It angered him to no end that Jack kept throwing Cassie off to the side again and again, not caring about her emotions. While here Chris stood, caring more than anyone about her, but never getting the time of day.

"He wanted to come sweetie, but ah…his plane was delayed. Sorry." Chris lied, scratching the back of his head.

Cassie's face fell for a moment before a large snort came from the other side of the room. Cassie and Chris looked at each other before turning towards Petey, amused looks on their faces.

"I don't wanna go to school." Petey mumbled. "You can't make me! Don't put the frog on me!"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Frog?" she mouthed to Chris.

He shrugged while stifling a laugh.

"Stupid frog, trying to kill me…" he continued to mumble before his eyes flew open. He quickly shot up, sitting against the pillows while looking around to where he was. When his eyes fell on the amused Cassie and Chris, redness crept upon his face.

"Frogs are trying to kill you eh?" Cassie laughed.

"Shut up." He scowled.

"We're gonna bug you on that for a long long time Petey." Chris smirked.

"Get it bug, frogs eat bugs…" Cassie laughed.

Chris looked at Cassie and broke out in laughter

"You guys aren't cool." Petey crossed his arms and glared at the two laughing.

"Hey we're not the ones that are mumbling about frogs killing us." Cassie defended.

"Yeah well…" Petey trailed off.

"Hey, you two are awake." Jimmy came back into the room, a grin adorning his face.

"Hey Jimmy." Cassie smiled up at him as he walked over and gave her a hug.

"Hey Double C. how ya feeling?" he asked, letting go and looking down at her with concern.

"I'm good, hurt a bit, but I'll live." She stated.

"What, no one asks if I'm okay?" Petey asks hurt.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "I'm so sorry. How are you feeling Pete?"

"Thought I threatened you not to call me that." Petey glared. "And I'm good."

"Your annoying dude." Jimmy stated. "Oh, and Becky says she hopes you get better soon Cas."

"Cool thanks." Cassie smiled inwardly at hearing her best friend's girlfriend wishing her well.

"Hey, where's Traci?" Petey asked suddenly after a few minutes.

"Who knows." Chris shrugged.

"Oh, you just wanna see her so you can ask her out." Cassie accused with a smirk.

Petey blushed violently and turned away.

"See, I'm totally right." She laughed smugly.

"Yeah well…" Petey once again trailed off.

"He needs to learn more come backs." Chris shook his head.

Cassie and Jimmy laughed in agreement while Petey pouted like a little child.

"Hey Chris?" Cassie asked a few moments later once the laughing died down.

"Yeah?" he turned his head to look at her.

"Can I use your phone?"

"What for?" he questioned.

"Well since Jack can't come right now, I wanted to call him. Hear his voice and all." She explained.

A dark expression wiped over the three men's faces before Chris complied and handed her the phone.

"Thanks." A smile was shot at Chris.

"Yeah no problem." He mumbled.

Cassie never noticed his tone as she began punching numbers into the pad and waiting anxiously as the phone rang three times. A sigh escaped her lips as she decided to give up. But before she could end the call, an out of breath voice came over the speaker.

"H…hello?" a female's voice asked, clearly trying to retain their breathing pattern.

"Ah…" Cassie was confused. She looked at the number on the phone, checking to make sure she had called the correct number. More confusion sank in as she realized that it was the right number.

"Who is this?" the woman asked from the other end.

"Is ah…Jack there?" Cassie asked unsure.

The sound of a phone being moved around came through to Cassie's ears as she waited impatiently.

"Hey babe." Jack's voice finally came through.

"Hi." Cassie replied, though still a bit unsure.

"Ah, what's up?" he asked off handily.

"Who answered your phone?"

"Oh ah, no one important." He stated.

"Why are you so out of breath?" she continued to question.

"Oh, I was just ah…training a bit…" he lied. "Look, babe, I gotta go. Hope ya feel better. Bye." The stone cold ring tone fell onto deaf ear as Cassie frowned at the phone.

"What was that about?" Chris asked.

Cassie gave the phone back before looking at the scowls placed on the three men's faces.

"What do you three know?" she asked softly.

The three men exchanged looks before they all sighed.

"Spill it." She told them forcefully.

"Okay, but you can't completely hate us." Jimmy insisted.

"Why would I hate you?"

"Jack has been cheating on you for the past month or so." Chris let out.

"What?" Cassie's jaw dropped open, face paling considerably.

"Jack has been cheating on you." Petey repeated.

"I heard what he said." She spat at him.

Petey held up his hands in defense.

"Did you all know?" she asked quietly.

The three nodded, a touch of shame hidden in their eyes.

"How come none of you told me?" tears formed in her eyes.

"We didn't want to hurt you. That and Jack always said that he would either break it off between you two or stop cheating." Jimmy defended.

"You still should have told me." She looked into her lap.

A hand tried to slip into hers, but she snapped her hand back, leaving an ashamed look on Chris' face.

"Look Cassie, we're sorry. But we didn't want to hurt you. And with everything with Alex, and the whole paying Jack to go out with you thing, we didn't want to hurt you even more." Chris tried to explain.

Cassie kept her head bowed to her lap. She knew the three men and god only knows who else knew about it did it for good reasons. But it still hurt. After everything with Alex, she thought she could depend on her boyfriend and other friends to be there and stay honest. The moment she heard the other woman on the phone, doubt arose in Cassie. She had a sinking feeling. The feeling came to life when Chris stated that Jack had been cheating on her. It hurt that someone else in her life hurt her. It felt like her insides were torn from her, the last remains of her heart were now gone, leaving her heartless, and close to having no soul. Though, she thought, the worst thing was that those three never told her. They just let it go on for a few months. They lied to her in a way, and that hurt just as much. Her own best friends.

"Cas, we're sorry. We're really really sorry. I even wanted to tell you earlier. But everyone thought it was a bad idea." Jimmy put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you didn't want to say anything at the beginning when I did!" Chris stood up and glared slightly at Jimmy.

"Yeah well, for the last month I wanted to tell her while you were too scared to hurt her. Well she found out and she's hurt anyways!" Jimmy retorted.

"Guys, don't fight. Can't you see she's hurt enough? She doesn't need to see her best friends fighting it out." Petey reasoned with the two men.

The men looked over at Petey, surprised at the maturity in his voice. Petey gave them a look before eyeing Cassie.

"Look Cas, I know you're mad, but take the anger out on him. We only did what we did because we cared, not because we want to hurt you. We love you more than anything; we always have and always will. We don't wanna see you hurt, even though you are. So don't hate us and ignore us ok?" Petey dished out.

Cassie kept her head down for a moment before looking up at Petey who had struggled out of his bed through the pain and walked over to beside her bed.

"It hurts." She whispered, a tear cascading down her pale skin.

"I know." He whispered back, wiping it away. "But we're here. We can help. We can kill him if you want us to. Though we will anyways."

A small smile found its way onto Cassie.

"See, there you go, CasCas is smiling." She returned the small smile.

"I'm not mad at you guys, just wished you told me." She stated, looking at the other men in the room.

"We know." Chris nodded.

**- - - - -**

**To Be Continued**

**- - - - -

* * *

**

A/N: okay, so i might have lied, the rest of the flashback will hopefully be in the next chapter.

oh, for any of you into Black With A T, yeah that chapter will come soon. im having a bit of a writers block on the nex chapter, but i have thought about later on down the road. so i might just write the ideas down and maybe the next chapter will come to me. lets hope. keep with me anyways. it'll be in sometime.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

"It's called waiting your turn Petey!" Cassie shouted through her bathroom door.

She rolled her eyes as she slipped on her black pants and black shirt before opening the door. She was immediately pushed out of the bathroom and into the hall. Cassie raised an eyebrow as Petey shoved the door closed in her face.

"Rude much?" she muttered before traveling through one of the halls in the two-bedroom townhouse that Petey and Cassie shared.

It was a pretty nice house, suitable for two young adults. It was situated in the heart of Windsor, only ten minutes away from Can Am Wrestling School as well as the Border City Wrestling arena. Sensible, yet privet tempted the two friends to immediately buy it two years ago when neither had a place to live. At first, Cassie and Petey had found it awkward to actually be living with one another. As would any male and female who were friends. But the two soon found it to be natural, though at times annoying due to Petey's over likeness to the female population.

"Hey Cas, where's the funeral?" Chris asked from the kitchen as Cassie came down the stairs.

"Very funny Chris." She shot a glare at him.

He shrugged. "No but seriously, you needa cut the black out of your wardrobe. It's getting too repetitive."

Cassie rolled her eyes before pushing him lightly. Chris smirked and pushed her back. The two began a small pushing fight, in which resulted in both being sprawled on the kitchen floor tickling each other.

"You two act just like kids." Petey groaned as he walked into the room, obviously done in the bathroom.

"Takes one to know one." Cassie stuck out her tongue.

Chris laughed as he stood up.

"Very mature Cas."

"Hey, he was calling you a kid too." She crossed her arms smugly.

He rolled his eyes before grabbing her arms and dragging her to her feet. Cassie stumbled once up on her own two feet, causing her to lightly stumble into Chris' chest. He caught her around her waist, steadying her before she made both of them fall. Petey watched with a smile on his face. He knew how much Chris liked Cassie. True, Petey himself liked her, but not as much at Chris did, not enough to actually try to be with her. He was happy enough just to cheer on his best friends and hope that Chris would just get up the bloody nerves to tell her his feelings for her.

"So what are we up to today?" Petey asked, interrupting the moment.

"Who knows." Cassie shrugged, moving away from Chris, not noticing the looks she was getting.

The three stood there, no one talking. An awkward silent fell through the house as the friends we stuck in a small stand point. To all of their thankfulness, a ringing sounded from Cassie's pants.

"You're pants are ringing." Chris stated, a small smile on his face.

Cassie rolled her eyes, a smile adorning her lips. She quickly flashed out her phone and clicked it on, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Hello?" she asked, eyeing the room.

"Cassie." The familiar voice of Alex Shelley rang through.

Cassie's heart stopped as her breathing rose. She stopped short, frozen in place, not able top move from the voice on the other end of the phone.

"I, I know we're not okay. I know we might never be okay. What I did, it was unforgivable. I know that. I'm not going to say I'm sorry. It wouldn't do much use anyways. I just want you to know that I didn't know that Jack was cheating on you. I had no idea until I heard from Jimmy. It probably doesn't help, but he came back yesterday for the ring of honor show. Lets just say he won't be wrestling for a few weeks. I'm going to go. I don't know if we have a friendship anymore, but you were kinda right, lacey was cheating on me. I guess both of us got the wrong person. Anyways, maybe I'll see you around. Though knowing you, you probably wont be around here for a bit. I get that. So maybe one day when we see each other again, everything will be all right between us. So bye, see you around."

Tears formed in Cassie's eyes as Alex finished his speech.

"Bye." Her soft voice came out before a click indicated that the conversation was over.

"Hey, who was that?" Petey asked, as he and Chris walked into the room.

She blinked her eyes a few times, clearing away any sign of what had just happened. She plastered a smile on her face and turned towards her two friends. She didn't really know what to think, after what Alex said and all. But she knew that right now, she shouldn't worry about it. That in time, everything will work out.

"No one." She stated.

Petey and Chris exchanged looks before shrugging.

"So, plans for today?" Chris asked.

Cassie looked at the two before making a decision. "You guys go do something, I think I'm going to go take a vacation from everything."

**- - - - -**

**End Of Flashback**

**- - - - -**

A small smile formed on Cassie's lips as she leant against a lonely crate. Sure, her past had probably one of the roughest times she had ever been through. But she was here now. It was just the fact of how the two reacted to each other that still confused Cassie. After his phone call years ago, she had taken a decision to go over to Japan for a much-needed vacation, as well as a career choice. Everyone thought she would only be gone a month. But as Cassie knew, she was gone for much longer. A year after everything, Cassie was here. Sure, she called, wrote even, but never did she see the people she would yet again see here. It was nerve racking, yet also exciting, for Cassie, this was the day she always dreamed about while over in Japan. Seeing her friends again. She would have come over a lot sooner. But at that time, a contract wasn't being offered to TNA, and she and Alex had just started writing to each other, trying to figure everything out. At the time, it wasn't ready for this. But now, she was all ready. She was ready to take on the women in TNA, and she was ready to see her friends once more.

* * *

**A/N: okay, so i finally got this up. sorry about the wait. i dont have any good excuses, so i wont even try any lol. **

**so this chapter is a bit short, but it ends that long flashback of what happened between Cassie and Alex. hopefully it answers some of the questions you have so far.**

**tell me what ya think? what do you guys think Petey and Chris will do when they see Cassie again? what about Traci? how will the roster react? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

"There you are!" Alex's voice rang from down the hallway.

Cassie looked up from where she was leaning. A smile fell onto her face as she watched him walk towards her, a goofy grin placed on his face.

"I've been lookin for ya everywhere." He exclaimed, reaching Cassie and flinging the traditional Video Camera into her face.

"Get that camera away from me." Cassie groaned, moving her head to the side, her hair blocking her face from the recording camera.

Alex laughed as he lowered the camera and turning it off.

"You never were much of a filming gal." He stated.

Cassie rolled her eyes and pushed him slightly.

"Hey now, no violence." He grinned, pushing her back.

"Back at ya." She stuck her tongue out.

"Very mature Cas, very mature." He laughed.

Cassie rolled her eyes, but laughed anyways. How she had missed these times when they just joked around. She was just happy she was able to have them back.

"So where have ya been?" he asked, fiddling with his camera.

Cassie shrugged while watching him. "Just been walking around thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Stuff." She answered.

"Such as?" he questioned.

"You're a noisy one aren't ya?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ya know it." He smirked, looking over at her.

She shook her head and let out a small laugh. "So where have u been?"

"Trying to get a date." Alex rubbed his cheek. "Didn't work out so well."

"Aww, poor Lex." She teased.

"Hey, don't call me that, I hate it." He pouted.

"You're such a lil kid I swear." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Thanks." He grinned.

She punched him in the arm playfully before noticing a few guys passing by.

"Hey Alex." One greeted.

"What's up Chris?" Alex nodded.

Christopher Daniels shrugged before looking Cassie up and down.

"Oh, this is Cassie Collins." He introduced. "Cas, this is…"

"Christopher Daniels." Cassie smiled. "Remember you from BCW awhile back."

"Thought I recognized you. You must be the new one everyone's talking about I'm guessing." Chris smiled and nodded.

"That would be me." Cassie stated.

"Nice to see you again. I've gotta go, but see you later. Oh good luck out there Alex." Chris smiled once more at Cassie.

"You too Chris." The two nodded before Chris walked off.

"I never knew you knew Chris?" Alex looked over at Cassie.

"Alex, he worked in BCW with us." Cassie rolled her eyes and hit Alex.

"Damn, you got better whole in Japan." He rubbed his arm.

"Damn straight." Cassie grinned.

Alex rolled his eyes and pushed her. "You haven't changed."

"Neither have you." She pushed back.

Alex glared at her playfully before regaining his posture. "Since we're done our little hitting thing, you wanna go talk about how we're gonna debut you?"

"Sure." She shrugged.

"Alright." He led her down the hall. "So I was thinking…"

* * *

"Sorry bout your loss guys." Alex looked at Austin and Roderick as they walked out of the tunnel. "Good match though."

"Yeah." Austin grumbled, looking down at his knee.

"Are you hurt?" Cassie asked, noticing the small pain Austin showed on his face.

"Naw, just think I blew out my knee. Nothing too big." He shrugged off. "Good luck dude, hopefully you can do better."

"Course I can." Alex grinned.

Cassie rolled her eyes and hit Alex over the head.

"What he means is that he'll try." Cassie smiled.

Roderick laughed. "So you're gonna debut in his match?"

"Yeah." She stated, excitement clear in her face.

"Good luck." He smiled. "But we better go, Austin looks to be in pain."

"I'm not in pain." He insisted.

Roderick rolled her eyes before pushing him along towards the trainers.

"Those two are cool." Cassie mumbled as she watched the two leave.

"Yeah they are." Alex smiled. "Hey, you remember Generation next right?"

Cassie scrunched up her nose. "Ugh, Jack…bastard…but yeah I remember. Those guys were in it right?"

Alex laughed at his friend but nodded. "Yeah. Still hostile towards jack eh?"

"Of course." She grinned. "Oh, you're going on now."

Alex nodded and waved as he swept through the tunnel. A smile fell on Cassie's face as she turned her body to the monitor, watching everything that was happening out there.

"Cassie?" an all too familiar voice came from behind.

Cassie twirled around and her jaw dropped as she saw Petey Williams standing before her.

"Hey Petey." She smiled.

He looked at her shocked before grabbing her into a hug.

"What are you doing here? Wait, you're the new girl aren't ya? Damn, this is awesome!" he grinned, putting her at an arms reach. "You haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you, except for the hair, longer suits ya. And the rumors are true, I'm Alex's manager starting tonight." She returned the grin.

Petey raised an eyebrow. "You and Alex?"

"Yeah." Cassie smiled.

"Does this mean you two…" he trailed off.

"Are friends again? Yeah." She stated.

"Yes! Finally." He grinned.

Cassie laughed before noticing a stagehand was looking at Petey in a dirty way.

"I think you're supposed to go out now." Cassie told Petey.

Petey looked over at the stagehand and smirked. "We'll talk later alright?"

"Count on it." Cassie nodded.

Petey returned the nod and started to walk up the tunnel before turning back.

"Hey, don't forget to go see Chris, he'll have a heart attack when he sees ya." Petey grinned before leaving view.

Cassie smiled before returning her glance on the monitor. All the competitors were out, allowing the match to start. Throughout it all, it was a typical amazing X Division match. The highflying stunts, the fast paced nature, it was all that was to be expected from every single X Division star. And it was all that was given, and even then some. But when Cassie saw Jackie Gayda beginning to walk down from the opposite tunnel and ramp, towards Alex, she knew this was her cue. She quickly waited until she saw Jackie slap Alex before running up the tunnel, ready to debut herself to all of TNA Fans.

* * *

D- "did you just see what Jackie did!"

M- "I did Don, and I think that just about cost Alex any sign of winning…yes, and Lethal just won the match! What a way to come into TNA, winning your first PPV match."

D- "that's right mike…wait a minute, who's this?"

M- "I don't know, but she looks pretty angry."

The fans watched on as a 5 foot 6, blonde haired woman descended down the heel ramp angrily. She shouted at Jackie Gayda before jumping on her and tackling her to the ground. The male fans yelled and screamed as their fantasy of a chick fight folded out before them. A laughing Alex stood there, watching as the new woman beat on Jackie. Soon enough, to a fans eye, Alex bent down and grabbed the woman by the waist and brought her to his side. The new woman glared at Jackie as the two descended up the ramp, leaving the fans mystified to who this was.

* * *

"That was so cool!" Cassie exclaimed, jumping on the balls of her feet as she and Alex walked towards his locker room.

Alex laughed at his best friend before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You were definitely in character. I think you might have actually really hurt Jackie. Wait…this wont be good for getting a date from her." He frowned.

Cassie laughed and pushed him away. "Are girls the only thing you think about?"

"Well yeah." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What else would I think about?"

Cassie rolled her eyes before smiling. Yes, for her, this was definitely how she liked life.

* * *

**A/N: yay, another chapter :D**

**So she debuted, and saw Petey again. not all that interesting, but its a chapter nonetheless. next chapter, expect some more excitement, as cassie and chris will once again see eachother. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

Alex stole a glance at his best friend, watching as she strode a hand through her dirty blonde hair. A smile adorned his lips as he just watched. Throughout the time they were fighting, as well as when she was in Japan, Alex missed the hell out of her. He knew everything he did was wrong, and he knew most of it was his fault. He just wished it didn't happen. But Alex knew nothing could change the past. All he could do was take this moment and embrace it, locking it in his memory.

"What?" Cassie asked, looking across the table at Alex.

"Nothing." He shook his head and looked down at his plate of food. The two had stopped off at Catering once he had finished changing from his ring attire, meeting up with Austin and Roderick.

Austin and Roderick looked at each other and smiled. The two had a small feeling that Alex was thinking a whole lot more then what he let on.

"Okay then…" Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"So, Cassie, how come Alex has never talked about you before?" Austin asked, breaking the silence.

Cassie and Alex looked at one another.

"Long story." Cassie stated.

"Lets just say there was a fight, a long vacation, and the now." Alex stated.

"Which by the way, the fight was his fault, as well as the long vacation." Cassie smirked.

"Hey, it was Jack's fault too." Alex insisted.

"True…" she nodded.

"Jack?" Roderick looked at the two confused.

"Evans." Alex scowled. "He cheated on her for two months with Angel Williams. Bastard."

"Though, the relationship was due to fail as Alex did pay the guy a hundred bucks to go out with me." Cassie informed.

"Hey, he gave the money back!" Alex defended.

"You paid a guy to go out with your best friend?" Austin repeated, laughing.

Cassie looked over to her side and watched him laugh.

"Shut up." Alex grumbled.

"Aww, poor Alex can't handle the truth." Cassie smirked. "Ow!"

Alex smirked after kicking her under the table. Cassie glared at him before kicking him back.

"Ow! Rude much?" he glared at her.

She smiled innocently before looking around catering.

"Hey Alex, where's Chris?" she asked.

"Sabin?"

She nodded.

"Um, I don't know, is the tag team title match over?" Alex looked around, trying to find a monitor.

"Yeah, it finished ten, fifteen minutes ago." Roderick told them.

"Could we go see him?" she asked, looking at Alex.

Alex smiled and nodded. "We'll see you two later."

Austin and Roderick nodded before Alex and Cassie walked out of catering.

"So, how do you think Chris is going to react when he sees me?" Cassie looked up at Alex as they walked.

Alex shrugged, not knowing how to answer. He knew how much Chris fell out of focus when Cassie left. He was the only one who only heard from her once, where as Petey, Traci, and Jimmy had heard from her multiple times. Hell even he had heard from her more times than Chris. Alex didn't know the reasoning for why, but he knew Chris was hurt from it. Sure he would be happy to see her, but the hurt and anger from it all would most likely take the better of the man whose liked her since the first day they met.

"Not sure. I mean, he was the only one you talked to once while in Japan." He stated.

"Yeah I know." Cassie looked down. "I just hope he doesn't hate me."

"No. I don't think it would be possible for him to hate ya." Alex assured.

Cassie shrugged.

"Hey now, keep positive. You were the one who always told me that." Alex looked down at her.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I guess."

"Come on, we can ask Sonjay where Chris is, they were partners tonight." Alex squeezed her shoulders

"Hey Sonjay!" Ales called.

Sonjay Dutt turned and smiled. "Hey Alex, what's up?"

"Nothing. Sorry about the match." Alex sympathized.

"No big deal. Didn't think we'd win anyways." He shrugged.

"True, oh do you know where Chris is?"

Sonjay thought for a moment. "Probably still with the trainers. His ankle is still hurting."

"Okay, thanks dude." Alex smiled before leading Cassie off towards the room the trainers were located in.

"You ready for this?" he asked as they made their way to in front of the door.

"Yeah." She smiled slightly, bracing herself for what was going to happen next.

Alex returned the smile before opening the door.

"Hey Chris." Alex greeted.

"Alex." He nodded, pain apparent on his face as a trainer tapped up his ankle.

"I, ah, have someone you might wanna see." Alex grinned and opened the door further to allow Chris to see Cassie.

"Hey Chris."

* * *

**A/N: ooooooo, what's Chris gonna say and do? bet y'all are wondering that aren't ya? lol, so another one out. i swear, i'm a writing machine today lol. anyways, i just wanna say thanks for the reviews. i appreciate them.**

**speaking of which, tell me what y'all think, or expect...i love hearing predictions...**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

"Hey Chris." Cassie entered the room.

Chris sat there as the trainer moved onto a member of America's most wanted. His jaw dropped open. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman he thought he would never see again was standing in front of him, looking the same as she did a year ago. For any normal being at this point, they would be jumping up and down in joy, but for Chris, it was another story. Anger swelled up in him. He loved that girl, friendship and more, but how she never even stayed in contact, that just angered him. He was the only one she only wrote to once. He hadn't heard her sweet innocent voice in so long he almost forgot what it sounded like. His heart hurt so much that he could hardly even concentrate on his career. Yes, normally a man would be happy at this point, but for Chris, he was just plain hurt, not to mention angry. So angry that he got up and limped past Cassie and Alex roughly, not even paying them attention.

"Took it better then I thought he would." Alex mused.

Cassie just watched Chris' back as he walked down the hall, away from where they were. A sense of wetness formed in her hazel eyes. She knew she hurt him, but she never knew she hurt him this much.

"Hey, he'll come around CeCe." Alex looked down at her.

"Maybe." She sighed. "But I screwed up Alex."

"Yeah, but you and me know more than anything that you can fix mistakes." He stated.

Cassie looked up at him and nodded. She knew he was right. It was them that had that huge fight, and here they were. They were still best friends.

"Come on, let's go find Petey, Chris just needs some alone time." Alex patted her shoulder.

* * *

"Chris, getting mad at her won't do a lot of good." AJ Styles persisted his pacing young friend.

"She hurt me AJ, out of all of them, we had an amazing connection. Why wouldn't she call me? Why wouldn't she write more than one letter." Chris rambled angrily.

"Maybe she has a good reason." AJ injected.

Chris stopped and looked at him angrily.

"Or not." AJ muttered. "But nonetheless, she's here now, so why not forget the past."

"I can't just forget the past AJ." Chris glared.

"Why not?"

"Because I loved her!" he practically yelled.

AJ looked at him in surprise. He had never actually seen the younger man show such emotion. He knew he had feelings for this woman he had talked about since they met, but he never knew how deep they truly were.

"You love her?" AJ smiled.

Chris sighed and sat beside AJ on the bench. "I think so. I mean I always have. It just hurts to know that the person you love, who's your best friend, doesn't care about you in that way."

"I know, but you can't just ruin a friendship over it." AJ reasoned.

"I know. I just don't know what to do."

"How about finding her. You haven't seen her in what, a year? Maybe its time you caught up. Find out why she only wrote once." He insisted.

Chris looked up before nodding slowly. "Yeah I guess."

"So why are you still sitting." AJ pushed the guy. "Go find her and talk."

Chris groaned before nodding and walking towards the door. "Thanks dude."

"No problem."

* * *

"Ugh, right when I get a place to myself, you come back and wanna live there again." Petey groaned.

"Oh shove it Petey. It's my house too." Cassie shoved him playfully.

"Yeah, but I finally got a chance with Traci, now what am I supposed to do, have sex in my room?"

"Where else are ya gonna have it…oh god…remind me never to touch or sit on anything." Cassie scrunched up her nose, giving Petey a disgusted look.

A smirk formed on Petey's lips as they walked.

"So, you and Alex are friends again eh? That's cool." Petey mused.

"Yeah." She smiled.

"Have you gone to see Chris yet?"

Cassie frowned. "Yeah, but when he saw me he stomped off."

Petey gave her a sympathized look. "He'll come around. That guy could never actually stay mad at ya."

"Yeah I guess." She nodded.

"So where did Alex go?" he changed the subject.

She shrugged. "He said something about trying to change Jackie's mind or something."

"That guy won't give her a break I swear." Petey laughed. "Though typical Alex huh?"

"Oh yeah." Cassie smiled.

"Cassie?" a voice from behind asked.

The two friends turned, familiarizing the voice. As soon as they saw it was Chris, Petey shot the two a quick glance before jetting off down the hall, leaving the two room to talk.

"Hi." A soft voice retracted from Cassie.

"Sorry about earlier." He started. "I was just kinda shocked."

"And angry." She finished.

Chris shrugged. "Well yeah."

Cassie stuffed her hands into her front pockets and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry about not staying in contact."

"Why didn't you?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. The way you wrote your letter…it kind of scared me not too."

"How?" he looked up confused.

"Well, you just wrote so angrily. How you wrote, it was as if you hated me for going for so long. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and make it even worse." Cassie looked down at her feet.

"Truthfully, I did hate you for going for so long." Chris admitted. "You said a month. But a month came and went. Five months later and we were all worried about you. We missed you."

"I know. I just needed time away. And when I was there I just got caught up in everything. It was stupid not to stay in contact I know that by how much seeing you today felt." she looked up at him, tears brimming her eyes.

Chris looked at her, head cocked to the side. He knew he didn't hate her. Hell, they were right, he couldn't stay mad at her.

"I just really missed you." He whispered, walking closer to her.

"I missed you too." She watched as he moved to right in front of her.

His eyes bored down at her, watching the way she breathed, watching the way her hair fell into her face. He loved every part of her, every flaw she held. He loved how emotional she was, how even when she cried, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He couldn't look at only her outer beauty, but the inner as well. In all of the time he had known her, she never tried to hurt anyone on purpose. She was so kind, helpful, never one to betray another, never one to backstab a friend. Chris just wished he could have a part of her. Every time when she was around, he just felt whole, he felt like the rest of his life was going to be okay. He wished he had her, wanting to feel like that for the rest of his life, never wanting to leave her side. Yet Chris knew deep inside, he could never tell her how he feels. He could never tell her how his heart broke every time she was hurt, every time she cried. He could never express how just seeing her smile made his heart jump and squirm. He could never let her know just how much he loved her.

"Chris?" she looked at him.

He blinked before grabbing her and indulging her in the tightest hug either had ever been in.

* * *

A/N: another chapter, sorry it took so long.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

"You better damn well promise not to leave again." Chris whispered into Cassie's ear as the two continued their long embrace.

"I swear." She muttered into his chest.

Chris smiled as he felt her cuddle into his chest. He wished he could just hold her like this for the rest of her life. She fit perfectly into him, as if she was meant just for him. But Chris knew it was just his heart playing tricks on him. She would never be his.

"I missed you so much." He tightened his grip, holding her closer to his body, feeling the warmth she gave off.

Cassie held onto him just as tight, never wanting to let go. She felt ultimately safe with Chris more than almost anyone in her life. She always knew she had him, even when she does stupid things like going to Japan for a year. He would always be there for her no matter what.

"I missed you too." She agreed.

Chris looked down at her. He couldn't help but feel flip-flops in his stomach as he watched her smile. That smile was so small and innocent. It made him smile every time.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him smiling down at her.

"Nothing, just really happy to have you back." He grinned, keeping his arms around her.

"Yeah same here." Cassie returned the grin.

"So now that your back, you have to tell me all about Japan."

Cassie laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." She smiled. "So, do you wanna go get something to eat or something? Personally, I'm starved."

Chris nodded. "Sure."

"Ok great." A grin broke out onto Cassie's face.

Chris chuckled. "Let me just go grab my stuff alright?"

Cassie nodded. "I have to tell Alex anyways, he was planning on driving me back to my hotel."

"Alright. I'll meet you in front of his room then."

"Kay." she grinned happily.

Chris chuckled before nodding and walking back towards his locker room. Meanwhile, Cassie practically skipped her whole way to Alex's locker room, happy as any woman could be at this point.

"Who gave you happy pills?" Petey smirked at the woman as she almost walked past him without notice.

Cassie blinked before looking to her left to see Petey leaning against the wall, a smirk plastered on his face. She rolled her eyes before grinning from ear to ear.

"I take it you and Chris are all good?" he pushed himself off the wall and joined Cassie in the walk down the hall.

"Yep." She piped up.

"Good. Now it can be just like old times." Petey grinned.

Cassie nodded in return.

"So where ya headed anyways?" Petey asked, watching as the two walked past open doors.

"Alex's locker room." She informed. "Chris and I are gonna catch up, so I have to tell Alex that he doesn't have to give me a lift."

"Gotcha." He nodded. "Well, I'll leave you off then. Have fun. I'll see you later."

"Bye Petey. And It was great seeing you again." She smiled at the just slightly taller man.

"Yeah it was great seeing you too. Just make sure you don't leave again."

"I swear."

"Alright, bye." He nodded before walking off.

Cassie watched with a smile as she knocked on the door.

"Hey." Austin opened the door, allowing her entrance.

"Hey. Where's Alex?" she asked, looking around the room but only spotting Roderick as the other occupant.

"In the bathroom." Roderick nodded towards the closed door at the back of the room.

"Mind if I sit and wait?" she asked.

"Go ahead." Austin motioned for her to take a seat.

"Thanks."

"So, since Alex is in there, have any really embarrassing stories about him from when you were kids?" Roderick asked, leaning across to her.

Cassie smirked and laughed.

"Oh there are many. I remember there was this one time…"

"Hey now, I was just in the other room. I can hear what your saying." Alex strode into the room from the bathroom.

"Sorry, we just assumed you were deaf like you always are." Roderick smirked at his friend.

"Ha ha Roderick." Alex glared at him. "Come on Cassie, before you say something that will really embarrass me."

Alex took hold of her arm softly and dragged her towards the door.

"I'll tell you guys another time!" she shouted back before she was pushed out of the room.

"Now that we've gotten that out of your system…" he trailed off.

Cassie smirked before remember why she had come. "Oh hey, I don't need that lift from you after all."

"How come?" he looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Chris and I are gonna go out and get something to eat and catch up." She informed.

"Oh, that's cool I guess. It's not like I had anything planned for us, I mean I'm just your bestest friend ever."

"Bestest isn't a word." Cassie punched him in the arm and rolled her eyes. "And he's my 'bestest friend' too."

"Just kidding, and seriously, you needa stop hitting me, my arm will be broken soon." Alex lifted a hand and rubbed his opposite upper arm.

"Aww, poor baby." Cassie laughed as she caught a glimpse of Chris walking down the hall towards them. "Hey Chris!"

"Hey. Alex." He nodded.

"Sure, she gets a hey and I get a nod. Geez, I'm really not loved." He threw up his hands in mockery.

Chris and Cassie exchanged an eye roll before they both punched him playfully.

"Okay okay, I get the point. I'm leaving. I'll call you later CeCe." Alex raised a hand up in a wave as he began to walk off.

"Bye Lex!" she called after him.

Cassie laughed as a one-finger salute was sent back to her.

"Ready to go?" Chris smiled.

"Yeah." She nodded, a twin smile on her face.

* * *

**A/N: alright, another chapter :D rock on me. lol, didn't mean for it to take this long to get out though.**

**so we've seen some on the feelings Chris holds towards Cassie. kinda cute, bet you all wish they get together huh? lol, yah me too i admit it. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine:**

"Oh come on, just tell me." Chris begged Cassie as they walked through the exiting doors of a near Denny's, leaving after their complete meal.

"I can't. It's too embarrassing. Though I will say this. If you don't know what it means for sure, never say It." She laughed.

"Fine, don't tell your best friend." He nudged her.

Cassie rolled her eyes and pushed him back.

"Fine, I wont." She teased.

"Mean." He pushed her back.

"Well that wasn't very nice." Cassie crossed her arms and stopped.

Chris turned and laughed at the pout she held on her face.

"Stop with the pouting. It never works." He said.

Cassie's bottom lip began to slowly quiver. Chris rolled his eyes before walking up to her and poking her in the ribs.

"Not nice." She glared at him before poking him back.

"I never said I was nice." He retorted. "Come on, its already midnight."

"I'm not leaving till you say your sorry." She replied stubbornly.

"Very funny Cas." He rolled his eyes before grabbing her arm and dragging her along to his car.

"You're a very mean person." She grumbled as they reached the car.

"Oh you know you love me." He smirked back at her.

"No I don't think I do." Cassie stuck her tongue out.

He stopped and crossed his arms. Not paying attention, Cassie bumped into him.

"Ow. You have a really hard chest." Cassie mumbled.

"Has anyone ever told you, you were very immature?"

"Yep." She grinned back up at him.

He rolled his eyes before ushering her into the car. She sent another tongue at him before getting into the passenger side. Chris as well got in, only into the drivers seat and reared up the engine.

"So, since you know what I did in Japan, what were you up to here?" Cassie asked as they drove through the almost empty streets of Orlando.

Chris shrugged. "Not much, just the wrestling. Joined TNA as you can see. Even won the X Division belt a few times. Probably best point in my career. Other than that just Indies and doing BCW."

"I mean socially." She poked him while he drove.

He pushed her hand away before sneaking in his own poke.

"Nothing, just hanged with the guys."

"So no girlfriends? Any ladies you were or still are interested?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Chris snuck a glance at her. Of course he had an interest. She was sitting right in this car. But he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't let his emotions out, at least not now. Though as he knew himself very well, Chris knew he probably would never tell her.

"No, no one." He shrugged.

"Wow, you're boring." Cassie sighed.

"You didn't have any in Japan either." He pointed out.

"Yeah, but see, on my defense, most of the guys over there couldn't speak much English. I gotta have that communication in order to have a relationship. I'm not Petey, I can't sleep with random women." A small smirk adorned her face.

Chris smiled. He was happy actually that she hadn't found anyone. Sure he wanted her to be happy, but a small part of him only wanted her to be happy when she was with him. It was a selfish wish, he knew that. But he loved her, it was what love did to ones mind.

"That's true. One thing everyone loves about you." Chris stated.

"Oh come on, everyone loves everything about me." She boasted.

Chris rolled his eyes.

"What? Its true!" she insisted.

"Yeah okay there Cas." He agreed sarcastically.

Cassie pouted and folded her arms.

"I don't like you anymore." She mumbled.

"Oh yes you do." He smirked.

"No."

"Yeah."

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh."

"Uh huh."

"Nuh uh."

"HA! I got you!" Cassie cheered in joy.

Chris laughed at her child like games. He loved that about her though. She wasn't afraid to let her inner child out and act goofy at times. She wasn't scared to show anything about herself. She was one brave woman.

"Anyways…" she quieted down.

"You're staying here?" Chris asked as he pulled into the motel I had booked.

"Well its not like I'm loaded with cash here." She stated. "That and I'm never the greatest with booking hotels or motels. I just go for the first one I see. And this was the first one I saw."

Chris raised an eyebrow as he stopped and looked around. The only building adjacent to the office was cracked and the paint was graffiti. You wouldn't even be able to guess the original color of the windows or the doors. He as well noticed the broken in windows as well as the strange gangs of people hanging around the place.

"What? Its not like I can't handle myself." She shrugged as he watched him eyeing the people.

"Its not you I'm worried about. You'd probably put them all on a stretcher." He teased. "No but seriously, you can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"Have you seen this place? Doesn't look very stable or safe." Chris said.

"I don't find anything wrong with it. Hey remember, I grew up in the wrong part of Windsor, I know this kind of stuff. It's just like the good old times." She assured him.

"No." he shook his head.

"You can't tell me where to stay." Cassie pointed out.

"I can when you're staying at a dump like this."

"Fine, I'll bloody well check out." She sighed. "But you so owe me fifty bucks."

"You paid fifty for this dump?" he looked astounded.

"Yes." She stuck her tongue out, opening the car door. "I'll get my bag and then meet back here."

"No way, I'm coming with you." He opened his own door.

Cassie glared at him briefly before the two left the car.

"I could have gone alone Chris." She muttered to him as they walked to the room numbered 8.

"Yeah, but I feel safer knowing your not alone." He muttered back.

"I hate having guys as best friends." She sighed before opening the door and allowing him entrance.

Chris raised an eyebrow a he walked into the room. There was a small bed, which was all rattled and the comforter looked ten shades of red, a few stains adorning it. The walls were chipped and looked to have holes in them.

"Yeah thank god I'm getting you out of this dump." He appalled.

Cassie rolled her eyes at his ways of protecting her. Though in all honesty, she had missed this. She missed him caring while she was in Japan. Over there she knew no one, no one knew her. She was on her own. And on more than one occasion she had stayed in dumps worse than this. She missed how no one was able to take care of her and be protective. This was nice; it was nice to be cared after.

"So when I check out, where am I supposed to stay?" She asked as she got her bag zipped up and walked into the bathroom to grab the rest of her crap.

"See if you can get a room at the hotel I'm staying at." He shrugged.

"Great, more money to spend. I needa win the lottery I swear." She mumbled, walking back into the room.

"I'll pay for the new room." He insisted.

"Ah no, you know me Chris. I don't like when people help me financially." Cassie sighed.

Chris looked at her seriously. "I'm not going to put you into debt just because of a stupid hotel room."

"And I'm not taking your money." She fought back.

"Fine, then at least stay in my room. I have a couch, I can sleep on that. It wouldn't be the first time. I used to crash on the one at your and Petey's place a few times. It wont be any different." He persisted.

"Fine, but I'm taking the couch." She brushed past him stubbornly with her stuff.

Chris sighed at how stubborn the girl was before following. "I'm taking the couch."

"Stop acting macho Chris. I'm taking the damn couch." She shouted back over the small win that had started up.

He rolled his eyes as followed her to the office.

"Take my stuff to the car. I'll be there in a minute." She dropped her stuff and went inside the office before Chris could disagree.

"That girl is going to drive me crazy." He muttered to himself as he slowly grabbed the suitcase and dragged it the short distance to his car.

Five minutes later and he was drumming on the padded steering wheel, waiting for Cassie to hurry up. He was just about to go see what was taking so long when he saw he walk out, a scowl on her face.

"What?" he asked as she entered the car.

"Bloody creep." She grumbled angrily.

"What?" he asked again.

"The guy said I could have my money back if I met him in room 1 in ten minutes." She crossed her arms, glaring at the office.

"Creep." He sighed.

"I think he should die, and then we can resurrect him, and then kill him again, and then resurrect him and kill him again, and resurrect him…"

"I get the point Cas." He stopped her as he drove out of the parking lot and towards the nicer part of town.

"I was just trying to get my point across." She shrugged.

"And you did." He smirked.

"Meanie." He pouted.

"Not the pout again, you know it doesn't work." He rolled his eyes.

Cassie stuck her tongue out.

"If you keep doing that I'm going to cut it off." Chris threatened.

"No you wont, it's too cute and you know it." Cassie smirked.

Chris bit his tongue, willing himself to not verbally agree out loud.

"So, is the hotel your at the one everyone else is at?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Pretty much." Chris stated.

"Good."

He caught a glance of her thinking before turning back to the roads. They were almost there, but it had started raining pretty hard now, creating slick roads.

"So, what are Austin Aries and Roderick Strong like?" she asked randomly.

"They're cool. Why do you ask?" he questioned.

"Just wondering. They seem nice." She mused.

"Yeah they are. Roderick is probably the nicest out of the two. Though Austin is a good guy. Though I have heard rumors about him. But they're probably just rumors."

"They're kinda cute."

Chris rolled his eyes, but his heart slightly aching at the prospect of her liking someone other than himself.

"That's nice."

"What, I'm a girl, I tend to have that kind of mindset when meeting guys." Cassie justified herself.

"I know." He nodded.

"You got quite all of a sudden." She said, looking at him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Cas, everything's fine." He lied, knowing he would never be okay. He would never have her.

* * *

**A/N: another one out. oh and before you ask, i will be updating alot next week. its good old march break starting friday, which means two things...1) more sleep for my mind to think up great stuff and 2) more time to write chapters.**

**So this chapter isnt that exciting, but the next one is i swear. i guess this one is just to show some of the frienship ties the two share. not exciting, but needed. but brace yourself, the next chapter is an eventful one...so get yourself ready.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten:**

"Why can't I sleep on the couch?" Cassie placed her hands on her hips as she glared at Chris.

"Because Cas." He rolled his eyes.

"Ugh I hate guys." She mumbled and plopped down on the couch stubbornly.

"Oh come on Cas, you said you were tired so just go over to the bed." Chris insisted.

Cassie shook her head and stretched out her legs, taking up the couch. She smirked up at him, waiting to see what he'd do.

"Cassie." He folded his arms warningly.

"Yes Chris." She smiled innocently.

"You annoy me to death." He shook his head.

"Then I do my job right." She laughed.

"Not cool Cassie." Chris moaned.

"Hey you were the one who wanted me to come here. You know how annoying this Canadian chick is." Cassie shrugged.

Chris looked down at her before an idea struck him. He smiled wickedly down at her, causing her to cock her head to the side in confusion.

"What?" She asked carefully.

Chris just continued to look down at her with that wicked smile.

"I know that look." Cassie sat up, her back up against the arm of the couch. "What are you gonna do?"

The wicked smile formed its way into a smirk before Chris swooped down and grabbed Cassie by the waist. With his strength as a wrestler, he easily picked her up and threw her over his shoulders.

"CHRIS!" Cassie shouted. "Put me down!"

Chris laughed as she tried kicking him. He simply walked over to the bed and placed her down.

"Your such a…a…" Cassie folded her arms as she looked up at him with a glare.

"A what?" he challenged her, towering over her.

"Your just not nice." She pouted.

"Oh enough of that." Chris placed a hand on her cheek as he leaned over her, his free hand on the bed next to her. "You know pouting never works with me."

"Meanie." She glared, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Shouldn't do that. Not very polite." He stated.

Cassie continued to glare as she once again stuck out her tongue. Chris just shook his head with a smirk. A weird feeling was falling over him. Ever since he saw her on that couch being the stubborn woman that she is, he felt, different. This usually wasn't how he would act. But for once, Chris felt good about his attitude, that maybe with being this way, he would finally get this woman sitting before him.

"I wanna sleep on the couch." She grumbled.

"I don't think so." Chris shook his head.

"And how do you plan on stopping me Mr. Know-it-all." She asked.

The smirk on his face grew larger as his body took over his thoughts. No longer was he depending on his mind to control what he does. Right now, all that was being controlled by was his heart and his body. He knew of nothing else, nor did he want to.

"See either we do this the nice way, or the hard way." He offered.

"Oh choices, joy." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"So which would you rather?" Chris leaned over her farther.

Cassie sat up further, as if challenging him.

"I'll take it as the hard way." He smirked.

"I've always been one for hard ways." She struck back at him.

Chris smirked, his bright idea growing larger and larger.

"I'll be back then." He stood up straight and walked towards the door to exit the hotel room.

"Where are you going?" Cassie asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry about it." He answered as he left.

Chris walked through the small hall until he found an empty one as he rounded a corner. He flipped out his cell phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" the voice of "Wildcat" Chris Harris came through.

"Hey Harris." Chris greeted.

"What's up Sabin?" he asked casually.

Chris smirked. "You're staying at the Holiday Inn right?"

"Yeah, everyone is. Why?" Harris questioned.

"What room are you in?" Chris' eyes began to roam over room numbers surrounding him.

"Dude, I don't play like that." He joked.

Chris rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. "Very funny Harris."

"Alright, sorry. 342." He answered.

"Alright thanks, expect me in less than five." Chris quickly clicked off his phone.

He looked back at the number across from him. 321.

"At least I'm on the same floor." He muttered as he took a route down a hall, hoping to get the right one.

Thankfully for him, he did as he soon found himself standing in front of room 342. He quickly knocked, and waited impatiently as someone opened the door.

"Hey James." Chris greeted the second member of Americas Most Wanted, "cowboy" James Storm.

"Sabin, what's up?" he nodded.

"Yeah what is up Sabin?" Harris walked beside James.

"Long story, I just need handcuffs." Chris stated simply.

Harris and Storm looked at each other before looking at Chris as if he was crazy.

"Why?" Harris asked.

"Please god don't say it's for something kinky." Storm moaned.

Chris rolled his eyes at the man's immaturity.

"No, I just need it to get back at a friend."

"Who?" the two wanted to know.

"Cassie Collins." Chris answered.

"Cassie's here?" Harris' eyes widened in surprise.

"Did you not pay attention to the PPV?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No." he shrugged.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Well she's Alex's new manager, she came out after Jackie 'slapped' Alex and gave her a little beating."

"I haven't seen that girl for ages." Harris mused.

"Yeah neither have we all." He sighed, wanting this to hurry up. "Can I just have the handcuffs please."

"Fine fine." Harris walked farther into the room.

"So whose this Cassie girl?" Storm asked, confused.

"She's another one who trained with D'Amore." Harris answered. "She worked in BCW, ROH and a bunch of Indies. I remember her from BCW."

"Oh." Storm nodded slowly.

"Alright here you go." Harris walked back to the door and handed the handcuffs off.

"Thanks dude." Chris grabbed them before speeding off back towards his own hotel room.

"Don't forget the keys…" Harris tried to call after him, but found it too late, as Chris was already gone, racing towards his room.

As soon as he arrived, he entered and looked to see where Cassie was. He saw that she was in the same position he had left her in; the same confused look on her face.

"Finally! I thought you ditched me for a minute." She exclaimed.

Chris smirked once more before walking towards her, handcuffs hidden behind his back.

"What?" she sighed. "This is getting very annoying."

"Glad to know." He walked over to her so he was standing beside the bed.

"Chris…" she trailed off, looking at him oddly.

"Cassie…" he mocked her.

Cassie stuck her tongue out at him before going to punch him playfully. Seeing the perfect opportunity arise, he quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Why do you have those?" her eyes widened as she caught site of the handcuffs.

Chris looked down at the metallic object before looking back at her. He quickly cuffed the wrist of hers that was in his hand. He went to attack the other end to the headboard, but Cassie moved to grab at his hand.

"That's so not the cool way!" she whined.

"Hey, you didn't want this nice way, this is the hard way. See if I handcuff you to the headboard, you cant go to the couch and have to stay here. Perfect plan if you ask me." he shrugged.

"Your so mean." She pouted.

"You know it doesn't work on me." Chris rolled his eyes.

Cassie tried to wrench the other end of the handcuffs out of his hand. The two playfully fought to take hold of the contraption. Though, unknowingly to both parties, during their little charade, the handcuff hand accidentally locked over Chris' wrist.

"Crap, now look what happened Cas." Chris sighed as he tried to get it off.

"Its your own fault." She stuck out her tongue. "Just use the keys if you're so desperate."

His face paled as the realization hit him quickly. He, mildly in thought, forgot to get the keys from Harris.

"Crap." He moaned, plopping on the bed next to Cassie.

"You don't have the keys!" she shouted.

"Kind of forgot those." He moaned.

"Good going Chris." She pushed at him.

Chris looked over at her and pushed her back.

"Well at least you can't go back to Japan now." He smiled meekly.

"Chris!"

"And you can't sleep on the couch." Chris mused.

"CHRIS!"

He looked over at the woman amusingly. To him, her anger made her look even more beautiful than before.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" she asked grumpily.

"Well." Chris eyes the bed they were on. "The bed is big enough for two, and we've been friends enough to trust one another."

"Fine. But how am I supposed to change?" she asked.

"You apparently don't."

"Joyfulness." She fell back on the bed sarcastically.

Chris smiled before joining her in their lying down position.

"You're a big…meanie Chris."

"Very mature Cas, you haven't changed a bit." He chuckled.

"Glad you find this funny." She nudged at him.

Chris rolled over onto his side to look at her before tickling her in the ribs.

"Don't even think about it Chris." She tried moving away.

He just smirked and continued.

"Ugh." She groaned as Cassie soon found she couldn't get away from him enough to stop the tickling. "Stop."

"Don't think I will. I'm having too much fun." He continued.

Cassie squirmed on the bed, stifling laughs and groans as her breathing broke. Seeing she had taken enough punishment for one night, Chris stopped, though keep his arm on the opposite side of her waist.

"Finally." She took in a few deep breaths.

"It's good to have you back Cas." Chris said suddenly.

Cassie looked up at him and nodded. "Its good to be back."

It was then that Chris found his body unable to control itself any further. Taking one large risk, Chris bent down at kissed her.

* * *

**A/N: ooooo, whats gonna happen, whats Cassie gonna do? what do you guys think, will she return the kiss, or stop him?**

**oh and for one reviewer, and incase the rest of you wanna know, in this story, imagine Chris with the short hair he has now in TNA (the brown with the blonde) took me days to try to distinguish which Sabin i actually wanted portrayed. i finally settled on the newest version as i actually think he looks a bit more innocent then before. **

**anywas, the next chapter should be coming soon. oh and for those of you reading or waiting for Black With A T to be updated, heres a little note: i have two huge ways to break the story off and i'm trying to figure out both before i continue to write the next set of chapters. that way i wont have to make up some of it on the spot, i'll know how its supposed to end. so far, the first choice sounds good. though i'm still deciding on which one to use. if any of you wanna take part in the story and let me know what you think, review me and let me know.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven:**

_It was then that Chris found his body unable to control itself any further. Taking one large risk, Chris bent down at kissed her._

Cassie felt shocked. What was her best friend doing? Why was Chris kissing her? All this was racing through her mind only milliseconds after he laid his lips upon hers. It would have made much more sense to her if her body hadn't complied with the kiss and returned it. No, she wanted to stop it, as this wasn't right. They were best friends; they couldn't be kissing right now. But it was as if her mind had no control over her body as her hands reached up and beckoned him to go deeper. What seemed like hours later, Chris moved his head up, his face completely flushed. Cassie looked up at him, shock written in her hazel eyes.

"Sorry." Chris mumbled, lying back down.

"Chris…"Cassie began.

"Don't. Look I'm sorry; I don't know what got over me. Just forget it ever happened." He told her.

"Chris…"

"Look Cassie, maybe we should just go to sleep." He insisted, closing his eyes.

Deep down he just felt embarrassed. What was he thinking? Why would he ever think she would take the kiss lightly? But then again, Chris remembered that she didn't exactly stop the kiss, actually, to be honest, she did join in.

"Chris…"

Chris didn't answered, pretending to be asleep.

"You're a very bad actor Chris." Cassie poked him in the ribs.

He sighed before his eyes opened.

"We should probably talk about what just happened." She stated.

"I already know what happened. I was stupid and did something stupid." Chris replied.

"Chris…it wasn't stupid, just a bit shocking. I mean I don't think I would have ever thought you would, well, kiss me."

He closed his eyes once more, not able to look at her. Cassie sighed as she sat up and looked down at him.

"I always thought of you as…"

"The friend, I get it." He muttered.

"Actually I wasn't going to say that." She poked him again. "I was going to say, I always though of you as the quiet, sweet, innocent one who never took risks outside of the ring. That kiss, it was a risk. Surprised the hell outa me."

Chris remained silent.

"It wasn't that I didn't like it, it's just…Chris we have a really amazing friendship. One that could rival the one that Alex and I have. Should we really taint it by, well, doing this?" she asked him.

Again, Chris remained silent.

"Chris?"

"I'm going to call Harris and see if he can bring the key over." Chris stated, bringing out his cell phone from his pants pocket.

"Chris wait." Cassie grabbed his arm. "Cant we just talk?"

Chris took my hand and brushed it off before sitting up and beginning to click the numbers.

"Chris, please just stop."

"Hi Harris, yeah, can you bring the keys over? Alright, see you in a few."

"Chris!" Cassie sighed heavily.

Chris glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't trust himself to speak. He knew all he would do is make things worse than they already were.

"For god sakes Chris say something!"

He glanced down at the floor.

"Chris, please. I don't want this to happen. I don't want this to ruin the friendship we have. Please say something."

"I don't want to say anything stupid." He mumbled.

Cassie looked at him sympathetically. "Hey your in the presence of me, no one can out due me in saying something stupid."

Chris' mouth twitched ever so slightly.

"Look I didn't mean to do it." He stated.

"I kinda think the opposite. People don't just kiss their best friend. There has to be a reason. Talk to me. We've always been able to tell each other everything." She touched him shoulder.

He took a deep breath before looking at the woman. His heart almost melted at the site of her. How would he be able to tell her the truth? How was he supposed to let her know that he loved her?

"Come on…" she insisted.

"Fine, but you can't laugh, or get angry, or anything at all."

"Alright I promise." She chipped.

"I…" Chris bit his lip.

"Just spit it out Chris."

"Alright…"

"Chris!"

"I love you."

The jaw of Cassie dropped. If it could hit the ground like it always does in the cartoons, it probably would have. Hazel eyes widened as she looked on in surprise.

"You…you what?" she asked.

"I love you." He mumbled.

"You, you love me?"

Chris nodded. He knew this was going to happen. She was going to say they should just be friends. That this would never happen, she didn't feel the same way about him.

"Wow. That I never expected." Cassie breathed.

The rejection hit Chris hard. It felt as if his heart was breaking into a million pieces.

"Chris, how long?" She asked.

"Awhile." He muttered.

"Awhile in how long?" she repeated.

"A bit after we met, well I started to like you then anyways." He told her honestly.

Cassie chuckled.

"I told you not to laugh." Chris looked at her hurt.

She put a hand on his arm. "I'm not laughing at you. It's just, to tell you the truth; I personally thought you were the hottest guy ever when I first met you. Didn't you ever notice the first few months of knowing each other I would always blush and stammer?"

"That's what it was?" his mouth twitched again.

"Oh yeah. Alex and Petey kept making fun of me. It was very embarrassing." Cassie smiled.

"Didn't know that." He mused.

"Well now you do. So, wow. Never actually had anyone say they loved me. Not even Jack said that." She looked at him in the eye. "Before I go on, let me just say, your bloody great kisser."

A touch of redness fell upon Chris' face.

"Alright, I embarrassed you. Sorry. All right, back to the task at hand. Look, I'm flattered, I really am, it's just…"

"You want to stay friends." He sighed.

"You like interrupting me don't you?" she smiled. "Actually no, I wasn't going to say that."

"What?" he looked at her confused.

"I would be lying if I didn't feel something in that kiss. I mean who couldn't the way you kiss. And I'm really flattered that you love me. But I made myself a promise that after Jack, I wouldn't rush into a huge relationship for a very long time. I know it's been a year, but I still feel that hurt." She told him slowly.

"I get it." He mumbled.

"But, I also know that I shouldn't pass something up that could possibly be something good for me. Maybe its not a start, but we could maybe try something sometime."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well." Cassie smiled slightly. "I'm not doing anything tomorrow night, well I guess it would be tonight I suppose."

"Wait, are you saying?"

"You get me outa these handcuffs really soon and I think you'll understand what I'm saying. But before anything, it's just a small date I guess, nothing big."

"Where the hell is Harris with those damn keys." Chris grinned.

Cassie laughed before she did something she never thought she would ever do in her life. She reached up, took his cheek in her hand, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Sorry." Cassie smiled as Chris moved back. "Like I said, you just had an amazing kiss."

"Your not too shabby yourself." Chris smirked before kissing her.

"Hey guys, Harris told me to bring you this key." The voice of Alex Shelley came towards the two as he entered the room.

His face paled as he saw his two friends kissing. "Whoa, sorry to interrupt."

Alex quickly left the room, as the two broke apart.

"Uh oh."

* * *

**A/N: so she took it all pretty well. at least Chris got his feelings out there. and hey you never know, that small date might turn into something else. lol. so what do you guys think?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve:**

"Alex? Oh come on and open the door!" Cassie knocked on her best friend's hotel room door the next day.

The previous night, after Alex left the room, Chris had called Chris Harris to get the key and bring it over himself. All night Cassie tried called Alex, to see if everything was okay. But all she got was his voice mail. It slightly annoyed her that he was probably screening her calls because of what happened. Though she was mentally hitting herself for being that stupid. Of course Alex would be a bit angry. She was his best friend, and everyone knew that the two were close. He didn't even truthfully like Jack all that much, even though he was the one who paid jack to go out with her. All Alex wanted was for her to be happy. But not with anyone at her side. All he wanted was for her to have other friends as well as him, but to only consider him as the best friend.

"Alex! Stop being a jack ass and open up!" she shouted through the door.

"Sheesh woman, could you keep it down a notch." AJ Styles walked out of the room across the hall from Alex's.

Cassie turned around. "Sorry. Do you know if he's actually in there?"

"Yeah he is. Saw him go in there an hour before you came. Apparently he was out partying all night." AJ explain, leaning against the wall beside his room door.

"Oh. Do you know if he's angry with me or Chris?"

AJ shrugged. "Seemed drunk when he went in. so I would say probably yeah."

"Damn. Sorry again for the noise. I didn't wake you up did I?" she looked at him.

He smiled. "Yeah, but its nine, I should have been up ages ago for my workout."

"So no harm done then." She returned the smile before hearing the sound of a TV coming from inside Alex' room. "Stupid bastard ignoring me."

"What did you do to piss him off? From what I hear, you two just got back as friends." AJ asked curiously.

"Long story." Cassie sighed before trying to knock again. "Alex!"

"You really need to talk to him?" he questioned.

"Kinda yeah." Cassie nodded.

"Well I can call Austin, that's who he was rooming with. Have him let you in or something." AJ suggested.

"That'd be great."

AJ nodded before digging into his jean pockets and took out his black cell phone. Cassie turned back to the door as AJ called Austin. She was a bit annoyed now that he was really ignoring her. She could hear the TV being blasted to full length, in no doubt, an attempt to ignore her.

"Austin's on the way up." AJ stated a minute later.

"Thanks AJ." Cassie shot him a smile.

"No problem. I should probably go grab something to eat though. Good luck with Alex."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

AJ chuckled. "See ya."

"Bye." She waved as AJ walked towards the elevators.

Cassie stood outside Alex's room awkwardly, waiting for Austin to come. She didn't wait long as a few minutes later, Austin was tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hey." He greeted her. "I hear Alex is ignoring you."

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "Sorry to have to bug you or anything."

"No problem. I wasn't doing anything anyways." He shook his head before swiping the key card through the slot. A moment later Austin opened the door, allowing her in. "good luck with him."

"Thanks." She told him before walking into the room, letting the door close behind her.

As soon as the sound of a door closing reached Alex's ears, he jumped up and glared at Cassie.

"What in the world is wrong with you!" she exclaimed.

"So where's your new boyfriend?" Alex sneered.

Cassie looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Where's your new boyfriend?"

"Chris? Alex, we're not like that…" Cassie defended herself.

"Oh bullshit Cassie! I saw you two. I'm not blind." He shouted.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "For god sakes Alex. Nothing's between us. God, maybe you should get your facts straight before you assume stuff."

"Oh don't fucking lie to me! I saw you two kissing. You don't just kiss for no reason." He glared.

"Okay, so I admit, we were caught up in the moment. And so okay, we might have a date planned. But come on Alex, why the hell are you so bloody mad?"

"Its your first day here, first time you've seen any of us in just over a year, and your already getting in bed with him."

"I'm not getting in bed with him!" Cassie exclaimed, completely frustrated.

"Right." Alex rolled his eyes.

"You know what Alex, I just got over a stupid fight with you. But apparently you're still immature enough to start another. I'm just going to go." Cassie turned around. "But remember this Alex, I'm not a toy, you can't just throw me away every chance you don't want me."

With that, Cassie left, slamming the door behind her. Alex looked at the closed door in rage. Not even a touch of guilt fell on him as he just stood there with clenched fists. He was too angry to really care what he just did.

* * *

"He's acting like such an ass." Cassie grumbled, hitting her head on the edge of the table.

"He'll get over it. But really, you and Chris finally eh?" Petey grinned from ear to ear.

"Gah!" she let her head fall back onto the tables edge. "Its one date!"

"And a few kisses. That's a start." He reasoned.

"Shut up." Cassie glared at him before going to try to hit her head again.

Though this time she failed as a hand flew down and stopped her before her head could connect with the wooden tabletop. Cassie groaned and looked up at the person who stopped her wanted agony.

"That tends not to be good on the head." AJ smirked.

"Hey dude." Petey nodded with a smile.

"Pete. So what's with the head banging? Wait, let me guess, didn't go well with Alex?" AJ slid into a vacant seat beside Petey in the hotel restaurant they were occupying.

"No." she moaned. "He's being a bloody stubborn ass."

"You know Alex well enough to know he's always an ass." Petey chuckled.

"Shove it Petesy."

"Petesy? Cute name." AJ smirked at Petey.

"Oh fuck off Allen." Petey glared.

"Hey! I thought I told you not to use that name in public." AJ looked around worried. "People might hear you."

"Allen…ha-ha." Cassie laughed.

"Not nice guys." AJ stated.

"No, just funny though." She laughed.

"Way to go Allen, you got the girl to laugh." Petey punched AJ.

AJ glared at the other man before turning his attention back to Cassie. "So why is he acting like an ass?"

"Long story…" she trailed off.

"She and Chris had a little kissing session last night." Petey smirked.

"Shut up." Cassie growled.

"Really? So does that mean you two are together now?" AJ questioned.

She groaned and hit her head on the table once more.

"Should I take that as a yes or a no?"

* * *

**A/N: yay another chapter :D**

**so Alex is acting like an ass again. maybe another fight in the future? you never know. though, could it just be that Alex is jealous? dun dun dun...lol**

**The actual Date will be in the next chapter i think. what do u think, romantic or fun?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen:**

Chris fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, completely nervous of what would happen in the next ten minutes. The thing that he thought would never happen was about to. He was actually going out on a date with the woman he loves. But that's not to say that Chris wasn't completely and utterly scared out of his wits about it. His fingers kept slipping on every button, making it twice as hard to do up a simple shirt. It was hard enough to just pick out the attire he was currently almost dressed in. Now it was twice as hard to just put it on. He just couldn't stop playing scenarios in his head. Either this would go well, and would lead to more, or it could ruin their friendship forever. Chris prayed to god it was the first and not the latter. But nonetheless, he felt as if his life was about to change, and he didn't know if it was for the better or not.

Meanwhile, on the floor above Chris, Cassie was furiously trying to fix herself.

"Cas, you look fine." Petey rolled his eyes as he watched the woman obsess over her night attire, which consisted of a sky blue fitting dress.

"But I have to look perfect, not fine." She muttered.

"I thought this wasn't going to lead to anything?" he stood up and walked over to her.

"Its not." She replied unsure.

"I don't believe that." He rested his arms on her shoulders, looking at her through the mirror. "See I think you want to look the best to impress the man so he still loves you. Which you'll never have to worry about. He will always love you."

"Shut up." She mumbled, blushing to pieces.

He grinned. "See, you wouldn't be blushing if I was lying. You know I'm speaking the truth."

"I-I just don't want to ruin this." Cassie turned to look at her friend. "I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"That wont happen. Even if there isn't a connection between you two, which there will be, you'll always be friends." He assured her.

"You better be right."

"I always am." Petey smirked.

"Thanks." She hugged him.

"No problem Cas." He smiled and returned the gesture.

Knock knock 

"That's him." Cassie pulled away and bit her lip.

"Relax." He tried to calm her down.

"Easy for you to say." She muttered.

Petey chuckled as he walked over to the door and opened it. Standing there in unusually worn clothes was Chris. Suited in dark blue jeans, a button up baby blue shirt, and a black blazer, Chris looked sharp and ready to take on the world.

"Going somewhere?" Petey smirked.

Chris rolled his eyes before glancing over at Cassie. She looked like an angel in the dress she had on, and her hair fell just ever so slightly into her face, sending off a mysterious angelic feature. Cassie immediately blushed at the attention and turned around, as if looking for something.

"Hurry it up Cas, I have Traci coming over." Petey urged.

Cassie shot him a dirty look before turning back towards Chris. She was slightly nerved of this date. Sure she used to have feelings for him back in the day, but now, she wasn't so sure. She would have to be lying to herself if she said she never felt anything out of that kiss earlier. But countering those feelings was the friendship she just retained back after a year of being a part. Cassie feared that if something went wrong, that would all go to hell.

"Cassie?" Chris spoke, looking slightly worried at the cast off look she gave.

"Oh huh? Sorry, drifted into thought there. You know how I am." She laughed nervously. "Ready to go?"

Chris nodded and reopened the door.

"Have fun you two…but not too much fun…unless you wanna have…OW!" Petey rubbed his head where Cassie's hand came into contact. "Just have fun."

Cassie glared at Petey before leaving the safe room. Once outside the hotel room, Cassie looked awkwardly up at Chris.

"Um, so you look…amazing." He blushed.

Cassie looked down at herself, her own little blush on the way. "Thanks. You don't look too shabby yourself. Didn't know you could clean up this well."

"I take that as an insult." He nudged her before motioning for them to head towards the elevators.

"So where are we going?" Cassie asked as they walked, a sense of comfort at the friendly gesture.

"That's a secret." He winked.

"I don't like secrets." She pouted playfully.

"You would think you'd stop the pouting if you knew it didn't effect me." Chris smirked.

"It's bound to work at some point." She reasoned.

Chris pressed the down button once at the elevator. "I doubt it."

"Dang." She walked into the open elevator.

Chris chuckled at her facial expression before following.

"So you wanna tell me where we're going now?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope. Your just gonna have to wait Cas." He smirked.

"Your mean." Cassie folded her arms over her chest childishly.

Chris rolled his eyes as the elevator stopped, the doors opening to allow another guest in. Both faces paled as Alex walked into the elevator angrily.

"Hi Alex." Cassie greeted in a small voice.

Alex glared at her before turning to Chris and punching him squarely in the jaw.

"What the hell Alex!" Cassie pulled the man back.

"You fucking bastard." Alex seethed, glaring dangerously at Chris.

"What the hell is wrong with you Alex?" Chris rubbed his jaw.

"Your going to fucking hurt her. Just like he did. I'm not about to fucking well sit around and watch you do it." Alex went to punch at him again.

Before he could, Cassie swung out in front of him, standing in front of Chris in protection. Alex immediately stopped his fist in mid air. He glared down at her, daring her.

"He's not going to hurt me Alex." She told him firmly.

"You don't know what he's been up to the past year with you gone. I've seen that. I'm not about to let you go off with someone like him." Alex growled.

"What are you talking about Alex?" Chris narrowed his eyes. "Or is this all jealousy? Your two best friends are going out on a date with one another, leaving poor Alex all alone. That's it isn't it? Your just jealous?"

"Don't you fucking dare say that." Alex tried to push Cassie out of the way.

But Cassie forcefully pushed Alex back, surprisingly doing it well. She gave him a vicious look, as if to challenge him to try again.

"I'm not jealous." He clenched.

"Looks that way to me." Chris stated before noticing the doors were opening.

Chris immediately wrapped an arm around Cassie's shoulders and led her out, leaving Alex alone in the elevator, cursing the two.

"I'm not jealous." He muttered.

* * *

"I still can't believe him!" Cassie explained as they were driving through the streets of Orlando Florida.

"I can. It's Alex for god sakes." Chris shrugged.

"How's your jaw?" she looked over at him in concern.

"It's a bit stiff, but I'll live."

"I'm so going to hurt him." she muttered darkly.

Chris looked over at her angry posture. "Don't go planning the murder just yet Cas. He probably thinks he's just protecting you."

"You're the one who got punched and now your defending him?" Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"Look, you two have known each other since you were what, nine? It's usual for friends to become jealous and over protect one another. Wasn't that what happened when he was going out with La…"

"Don't say her name Chris." Cassie warned.

"Sorry. But it's the same thing. Maybe he's taking it a little extreme, but, it's Alex, what do you expect?"

"He can still be civil." She mumbled. "But it wasn't the first time today he was acting like a bastard. I went to see him earlier after everything, and he completely went into bastard mode."

Chris watched the road while thinking. "Maybe he really is jealous."

"Why would he be jealous though? That's what I don't get." She mused.

"Well, you two, with the exception of the past year and whatnot, have had a really close bond. Maybe he doesn't want to share you with someone else." He offered.

"But, then why would he pay Jack to go out with me?" Cassie asked, now completely confused.

"Well…" Chris thought for a moment. "He could have thought that it wouldn't last much more than a week or two. And he was actually jealous of you two. Hence part of what that huge fight was over."

Cassie looked out the window with a frown. "I guess. I still don't get it though."

"Well, have you ever thought of the prospect that maybe he likes you more than a friend?"

"What?" she looked over at him and gaped. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, it's not the first person." A touch of blush fell on his face.

"Yeah, but its Alex." Her nose scrunched up. "That's like impossible."

"Maybe not."

* * *

**A/N: YAY! a new chapter :D bet y'all are happy now. i've gotten a dozen or more people telling me to hurry up and update this, so i decided to finish this chapter off.**

**kinda leaves u thinking a bit. maybe Alex is jealous, and maybe he does like her more than a friend. but hey, who knows...anything can happen right ;) tell what you guys think.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen:**

"So what's this I hear about you hitting Chris?" Austin asked, sitting down on the couch where Alex had his head in his hands.

A mumble was shot in reply, yet Austin couldn't understand the hardly audible words.

"Dude, you have to actually talk, not mumble." Austin rolled his eyes before looking over at Roderick who had a concerned look on his face.

"What was that about Alex? I thought you and Chris were friends?" Roderick asked.

"He's going to damn well hurt her!" Alex shot off the couch and began pacing, anger clearly seen on his face.

Austin and Roderick shared a look of confusion before turning back to their friend.

"Before you two say anything, I didn't over react. I'm just trying to keep her from getting hurt from someone else. I've already seen that before. I don't wanna see it again. So I tried to keep him away from her. But then that fucking bastard just plainly walked out with his arm around her like she was his! She is fucking not his!"

Roderick opened his mouth to say something, but Alex quickly continued.

"He doesn't fucking deserve to be with her. She clearly didn't care about him when she was in Japan. She only wrote to him once for god sakes. So why the hell is she going on a date with him? I bet he manipulated her! Or he threatened! How else could you explain the sudden like she has towards him." he contemplated while pacing.

"Alex, dude, calm down." Austin tried to reason with the man.

"What if he tries something with her? She'll of course get hurt that her own friend would do that. Damn, I knew this wasn't good. God damn it! He's not supposed to be with her. She's not his! She's fucking mine!"

Roderick and Austin stood there in shock. Neither had heard this kind of anger, this kind of talk out of their friend before.

"Alex…" Roderick tried to stop his friend.

"I've got to do something. Where do you think he'd take her?" Alex looked at his friends quizzically, ignoring the looks from the two.

"I don't know Alex, but don't you think your taking this a bit too far?" Austin stood.

"Look Austin, I care about her. I don't want her fucking getting hurt!"

"Chris wouldn't hurt her though. You know him. Even I can tell he loves her enough to not screw this up." Roderick reasoned.

"Whose side are you on Roderick?" Alex got in Roderick face.

He frowned. This wasn't the Alex he knew. This was a green with envy man who Roderick really didn't want to deal with right now.

"I'm not on anyone's side Alex. I'm just saying you should calm down before you do something you'll regret." He snapped.

"If your not going to help me Roderick then get the hell out."

Roderick narrowed his eyes, looking at Alex viciously. Austin meanwhile looked between them concern. They didn't need their team split up because of a stupid argument. That happened once before, but they didn't need it again.

"Guys! Stop it." Austin eventually pushed the two away from each other. "We don't need this right now."

Alex breathed in deeply before walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To find them."

* * *

"So Cassie and Chris huh?" Petey looked across the table at AJ while keeping Traci within his arms.

"Seem like a cute couple, even though I don't know her that well." AJ nodded.

"I'm so happy those two are finally together." Traci grinned, bouncing slightly. "I remember way back at BCW when they both liked each other, yet neither knew."

"And now they're together." Petey grinned as well, happy for his two best friends.

"He really loves her." AJ mused, remember all the times Chris would talk about her and the look in his eyes.

"Always have." Petey nodded. "Took him long enough to do something about it. He should have told her before Jack. But he was stupid enough not to. And then when Jack broke her heart, he could have swept in and helped her. But nope, he just let her run away. At least he finally got up the courage now. I was going to flip out if it didn't happen soon."

AJ chuckled. "I'm surprised you held out that long. Usually after a week you freak."

"That doesn't amuse me Allen." Petey glared.

AJ narrowed his eyes. "What ever you say Petesy."

Traci giggled as the two men stared down one another.

"Where the hell is she Petey!" Alex came waltzing over to them, an angry face plastered on.

The three occupants of the table exchanged a look before shrugging.

"Oh don't give me that. Where did he take her?" he demanded.

"Even if we did know, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't tell you man. She doesn't need you ruining her life again." Petey glared at him.

Alex snapped and lost control. He grabbed Petey by the cuff of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. His fists clenched over the fabric forcefully.

"Don't you fucking dare say that Petey. I'm just trying to protect her." He growled, dangerously low.

"Get the hell away from me Alex." Petey shoved him away.

Alex looked to want to punch him as well. But AJ quickly stepped in between the two.

"Stop it Alex. This is just being immature, punching and threatening all your friends. You're going to lose them all again if you don't stop this." AJ tried to calm the younger man down.

"You have no fucking clue about any of this Styles. So just stay out of my business." Alex warned before turning back around and walking away.

"That guy needs to figure out what the hell is wrong with him." Petey sighed as he plopped back down in his seat. Traci immediate wrapped an arm around him. Petey smiled and looked down at her.

"You think he could actually be doing all of this because not of wanting to protect her, but to keep her for himself?" AJ thought.

Petey eyed AJ for a minute, thinking the idea over. "Nah. I mean Alex liking Cassie? I don't know about that."

"I think he does." Traci spoke up.

The two men looked at her.

"Didn't you see that fire in his eyes. He loves her as a friend, and he loves her more than a friend." She shrugged.

"She might have a point." AJ mused.

"Yeah. But I hope not. Cas has enough going on then having two men fighting over her." Petey sighed, rubbing his temples, feeling the start of a headache.

* * *

"Wait, so let me get this straight, you accidentally asked Ki if he wanted to have sex with you in Japanese?" Chris laughed.

Cassie rolled her eyes as she flung the bill from their dinner at him.

"It was a mistake. I thought I was asking if he wanted to catch a cab together. Apparently I said it wrong."

"Wrong? You were completely on a different end of the spectrum Cas!" he laughed.

"Shut up." She mumbled. "Just pay the bill."

Chris smirked before grabbing it and looking it over. He quickly flashed out a few bills before laying them down on the table.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"As long as you stop making fun of me." she pouted.

"Fine, but as long as you stop pouting." He reasoned.

"No fair."

"It's a deal then?" he smirked.

"Yeah yeah whatever. Come on." Cassie rolled her eyes and stood up, fixing her dress in the process.

Chris smiled as he put a hand on her back and led her out of the restaurant swiftly. Once outside, their slowed down, taking in the humid night.

"So what was Ki's reaction?" he asked, putting an arm around Cassie.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about this anymore." She glared.

"Oh no, I said I wouldn't make fun. I said nothing about not talking about the subject." He chuckled.

"Meanie." She grumbled. "And he laughed…and laughed…and laughed all the way to the motel."

"Wish I was there to witness that." He grinned.

"Your annoying Chris."

"Oh just get in there." He poked her towards the car.

"Aren't you supposed to open the door for me?"

"Don't push your luck." Chris smirked but opened the passenger door nonetheless.

Cassie smiled and slipped into the seat, allowing for Chris to shut the door. A moment later Chris slipped into the drivers seat and had started the engine. It was then that she noticed the time.

"Damn, it's already 11?"

Chris pulled out of the parking lot before looking down at the bright red numbers.

"Apparently. Time flies when you're with someone as beautiful as you."

Cassie blushed. "Shove off Chris." She mumbled.

He smirked, eyeing the red tone now on her face.

"You look cute when you blush."

This only drove her to blush harder.

"You do though Cas." He stated.

"Shut up." She muttered quietly.

A grin formed on Chris' face. So far, the night had gone perfectly. Well, for the exception of the Alex incident at the hotel. But other than that, the night went off without a hitch. It went so well, that Chris felt a larger amount of hope that this might just work out in his favor.

"So…" Cassie yawned. "Now what?"

"You look tired." He observed.

"Nah…" another yawn. "I'm all good."

Chris chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "How about we call it a night?"

"Fine…if you insist." She didn't bother fighting.

"How is this supposed to work, with you staying in my room?" Chris asked after a few minutes.

Cassie shrugged, just realizing the oddity of the situation.

"No clue."

"Guess we really didn't think of this part huh?"

"Apparently not." She chuckled. "But hey, on our defense, we're not the brightest people in the world.

"Speak for yourself." Chris poked her.

"Ha ha, don't flatter yourself Chris." Cassie poked back.

He rolled his eyes as he drove into the parking lot of their hotel.

"Oh I have a great plan to fix our oddity."

"What?" Chris stopped the car in a space and turned towards Cassie.

"I can go back to the motel I was originally in!" she nodded.

"Try again." Chris shook his head.

"Party pooper." She folded her arms and pouted.

An eye roll came from Chris. "You really have to stop with that pout."

"Why? Its only you that it doesn't work on. It works for everyone else."

"Okay then…ready to go in then?" he asked.

Cassie looked up at the hotel before nodding. Minutes later and the two were walking through the entrance to the hotel.

"So tonight was fun." Cassie commented as they entered an elevator.

"Yeah it was." Chris smiled and looked to his side.

"I'm happy we did this. I had fun." She returned the smile.

"Me too." Chris agreed.

"So, we never did finish our conversation on how we're going to do this." Cassie looked as the elevator doors opened.

Chris shrugged as he led her out into the hallway and the two began walking towards his room.

"So, now what?" she asked, noticing the door was straight ahead now.

Chris slowed down, the door now in front of them. He looked down at Cassie before taking a risk and going in for a kiss. Cassie was shocked at first, but met him halfway, surprising Chris himself.

"Not this fucking thing again!" The angry voice of Alex broke their kiss.

Both Cassie and Chris sighed heavily before looking to the side where Alex was standing angrily in posture.

"This is kind of a privet matter Alex." Cassie shot at him, completely tired of his attitude now.

"I'm just trying to protect you Cas." He narrowed his eyes at Chris.

"I'm not going to hurt her." Chris took a step towards the other man.

"Likely story." He growled.

"Oh for god sakes Alex!" Cassie exclaimed.

"I got you into Traci's original room, as she's staying with Petey. I already took the liberty of moving your stuff over." Alex stated, still glaring at Chris.

"You did what! Oh my god Alex!" she looked as if she was going to attack him.

Chris silently put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. Although he was furious, playing into what Alex wanted and fighting wasn't what Chris wanted. Cassie looked up at Chris and sighed. She simply glared at Alex before stomping off down the hall.

"Alex, you better damn well get a hold of yourself. You keep this up and your going to lose a lot more than just her friendship." Chris warned before walking after Cassie.

* * *

**A/N: oooo, Alex has an attitude now...and can u believe he actually said she was his? definitely a jealous male eh? lol, so how do you think this is all going to end up?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen:**

"So have you talked to Alex at all in the last day or so?" Petey asked.

Cassie shook her head angrily. "No, and I don't wanna even think about him. I can't believe him!"

He nodded. He could understand the anger his friend was holding inside. If he were in her shoes, Petey would be feeling the same way.

"You ready for the tapings tonight?" Petey asked, trying to change the subject.

"No. I have to be his manager remember." She grew a disgusted look.

"Right. Good luck with that." He sympathized.

"Ugh! I shouldn't have come back. My life is just as frustrating as it was before I left in the first place." Cassie mumbled and put her head in her hands.

"Hey, don't say that." Petey moved from the side of the table he was on, to a seat beside her. "Everyone's glad your back."

"Yeah, but Alex is acting like a bastard again, and my love life isn't all that great again. Gah…Japan looks so good right now."

"Don't you even think about running off there again." He told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You can't always run from your problems. And what do you mean your love life isn't all that great? What about Chris? From what you told me of what happened Sunday night, you two hit it off pretty nicely."

Cassie sighed. "Yeah, but if it's going to ruin my friendship with Alex, is it really worth it?"

"Hey, forget about Alex. That guy just needs to learn your not always going to be his. If he isn't willing to let you be happy with someone, then fuck him. He's not a true friend." Petey reasoned.

"I guess. But, I don't want to lose my friendship with Alex over this. As much as he's being an ass, he's still my best friend you know?"

Petey nodded. "Yeah I know. But you also deserve to be happy. And I know for a fact, that date with Chris made you happy."

"Maybe…" Cassie agreed. "It was nice."

"See." He grinned. "There you go."

"Yeah I guess." She sighed. "So getting away from my life problems, how are you and Traci?"

"Great." Petey's eyes sparked. "I really love that woman."

Cassie smiled. She had truly never heard Petey say that seriously about a woman before. It was nice that even the player that Petey is, he can see a good relationship when it hits him. And Traci was definitely good for him.

"Oh, by the way, Jimmy wants to see you the minute we get into Windsor tomorrow."

"Sweet. I can't wait." A grin now formed on the woman's lips as she remembered her other best friend. "I hear he's not going out with Becky anymore. What happened?"

"Oh, they just didn't see each other being together for a long time." Petey informed. "Though don't ask Jimmy of anything to do with love or relationships now. Believe me, you don't wanna know."

"Why? Who is it?" she questioned.

"You don't wanna know." He bit his lip.

"Come on Petey, tell me." Cassie begged.

"Fine, but remember, I'm just the informer, so you can't hit me."

"I promise."

"He's kinda obsessed over Lacey at the moment." Petey said hesitantly.

Cassie's mouth fell open in shock.

"Shocker isn't it? Told you you wouldn't want to know."

"Wow. Seriously?"

"Seriously." Petey nodded.

"What do you mean obsessed anyways?" she asked.

"Well their kind of going out."

"Is she…"

Petey shook his head. "So far she hasn't cheated on him yet."

"So far." Cassie muttered.

"Give her the benefit of the doubt Cas. Jimmy really likes her."

"I guess." She shrugged.

"Try to be nice." He nudged her with a smile.

"Am I ever nice?" she nudged him back.

"That's true."

* * *

"Ugh, stop dragging me Cas." Petey moaned, yet still feeling the familiar tug to his arm.

"I wanna go see Scott and Eric and them all." Her eyes sparked, a much different attitude than earlier.

"We will, you can cool it though." He tried to stop her.

Cassie retorted with a rapid shake of the head and continued to pull him towards where she was told Team Canada's locker room was.

"Cas!"

"Stop moaning and groaning Petesy." She shot him an outstretched tongue before grinning, as the door she wanted appeared only a few steps away.

"I hope you trip and fall." Petey muttered as they reached the locker room.

"That's oh so nice Petey." Cassie nudged him.

"Yeah, well, I was just dragged for a long distance, you'd be grumpy to."

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Can we just go in now without your complaints."

"Yeah yeah…wait here for a minute." Petey slid around Cassie and opened the door.

"How come I have to wait?" she asked.

"Just do so." He rolled his eyes before slipping into the room and closing the door.

Cassie shrugged her shoulders and leant against the wall. Thoughts of what tonight would bring ran through her head. She still hadn't talked to Alex yet since Sunday night. She was too angry to. She was afraid that her emotion would take the better of her and she would say or do something she'd regret. In truth, Cassie dreaded the moment she would have to work later on the tapings. She knew working with Alex now was going to be difficult. And she truly didn't want to have to deal with him in this attitude once again.

"Cas…" Petey popped his head out of the room.

"Can I go in now?" she asked impatiently.

Petey rolled his eyes. "Yes your majesty."

Cassie mocked him by bowing ever so slightly before pushing him aside so she could get in.

"Cassie!" the excited voice of Eric Young bounded at her.

"Hey Eric." She hugged the older man tightly.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" he exclaimed, pulling back and looking her over. "Still look pretty much the same."

"You too." Cassie grinned before looking past him. "Hey Coach."

Scott D'Amore rolled his eyes before nodding. "Good to see my favourite student again."

"I thought I was your favourite?" Petey frowned.

"That's just what you think." Bobby Roode patted the man on the shoulder with a smirk.

Cassie grinned as she practically pushed Bobby over with her hug.

"Yeah its good to see you to, but do you really need to try to kill me?"

"Yeah, it would make the world a better place." Petey shot at him.

Cassie rolled her eyes before giving A1 the exact same hug.

"It's so good to see you all again. It's been way to long." She looked them all over, noting practically nothing had changed about them.

"So when did you get back from Japan?" Scott asked, looking the young woman over.

"5 days ago. Or was it 6. I don't know, something along those lines." She shrugged.

"I see you and Alex resolved your issues, with you being his manager and all. Is the world going to end, I thought that was never going to happen." He smirked.

Cassie's face grew darker at the mention of Alex's name.

"Ah, not the best topic Coach." Petey shook his head.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "What happened now? Anything that should be knocked into him. God knows common sense hasn't worked yet."

"It's nothing." She mumbled.

Petey rolled his eyes, taking it upon himself to explain the situation. "Cassie and Chris went out, Alex got overly jealous and punched Chris. Then he freaked out on all of us and got even more jealous. In short, it's world war 1 all over again."

Cassie shot Petey a glare before noticing Scott wanted to say something.

"You and Chris? That boy actually got up enough nerve to ask you out?" his tone was that of a shocked one.

Cassie nodded.

"Everyone at BCW will be ecstatic to hear this."

"Everyone knew but me that he loved me right?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Your always the last one to know, so it seemed right." Bobby poked her.

"He's got a point." Petey smirked.

"Now I know why I never liked Team CA a lot." She stuck out her tongue.

Scott chuckled. "So, have any plans of wanting to return to BCW. There's always a spot open for the best damn woman this business has ever seen."

"I'll think about it…but I'm pretty sure it'll be a yes."

"Good." Scott grinned. "Canada needs its star back."

"Don't we all." Petey nodded.

* * *

**A/N: arent i just awesome, another chapter lol. what do u think is going to happen when Cassie and Alex have to work together? personally, i see world war 1 happening all over again lol. and i just couldn't resist putting Team CA in this chapter, you gotta love them eh? lol**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen:**

"So can you believe she's actually back." Petey mused, sitting in the Team Canada locker room later that night.

"It's a surprise." Scott nodded. "I'm glad she's back though. It'll give TNA a new edge."

"Yeah." Eric nodded with a grin.

"She's taken Eric." Bobby smirked at him.

Eric blushed and looked down.

Petey rolled his eyes. "Leave the poor guy alone Bobby."

Eric gave Petey a grateful smile.

"Too bad she's already with Alex. Be nice to actually have a woman in the team." A1 mused.

"Yeah." Petey grinned. "Remember that last match in BCW with her and I in the cage. Classic match. We always were able to get the crowd behind us. Now if only we could have gotten her in our group."

"You just don't want her near Alex for whatever he did." Bobby smirked.

"Yeah well, you wouldn't want her to be near him either if you knew about it all." Petey sighed.

"He's just being typical Shelley. He'll blow over this all. The two have gotten through worse." Scott advised them. "And we'll still be working with her. Or have you forgotten Alex also works in Jeff's 'group'."

* * *

"I don't wanna do this." Cassie whined, looking up at Traci.

"It'll be fine. All you have to do is pretend to like him." Traci assured her friend. "Just get through the interview and a match on the second taping. Piece of cake."

"Not that easy but I'll try. But what if he tries talking to me?" she stood.

"Ignore him. Or give him the finger." Traci shrugged.

"Yeah I guess." Cassie looked herself over quickly before looking at the door. "I guess I should go."

"Hey, at least for the interview the others will be there. And then the match has Austin and Roderick in it too."

"Thankfully. Wish me luck?"

"Of course." Traci grinned. "And try to have fun."

"I'll try." Cassie sighed before leaving the room.

"Hey kid." The familiar voice of Chris Harris came from across the hall.

"Wildcat." She grinned, hugging the man. "Haven't seen you lately."

"I blame Japan for that." He smirked. "I hear you're Alex's manager now. You'll be in 'Planet Jarrett' with the rest of us now."

"Sounds like tons of fun." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh believe me, it is. Just watch out for James, he has a tendency to come on strong to women."

"I'll remember that." Cassie laughed.

"So where ya headed?" he asked, beginning to walk with her.

"Wherever this supposed interview is. I hear you all are going to be in it too. Ruining my star light already I see." She teased.

"You know I love doing it." He smirked. "Want me to walk you there?"

"Sure, as I have no clue as to where I'm going."

"So I hear you and Chris have a thing." He mused as they walked.

"Yeah and I hear you were the one who gave him those damn handcuffs." Cassie shot him a glare.

"Right, that didn't go so well. Though it did actually put you two on a date. So in fact, you should be thanking me."

"Not a chance in hell Wildcat." She hit him.

"Was worth a shot." He shrugged. "Well here we are."

Cassie looked around, spotting Alex talking with Jeremy Borash.

"Joy." She sighed.

"Something wrong?" Harris looked down confused.

"Long story." She stated.

He shrugged. "Well I'll leave you here. I have to go find the boys. See you in a few."

"Yeah." She watched as he walked off.

"Cassie?" Alex's voice came from where he was standing.

Cassie groaned and walked over, though careful to not look at him.

"Look Cas, I'm sorry." He tried to say.

"Fuck off Alex." She grumbled.

"JB, wanna give us some room." Alex asked the other man.

He nodded and walked over to where I presumed was where the rest of the members of the interview were.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I was just trying to protect you." He pleaded.

"Stop saying that Alex, you were just jealous." She glared.

"I wasn't…"

"Like hell you weren't!" Cassie exclaimed angrily. "Normal people don't hit or threaten their best friends!"

"I was just…"

"Stop it Alex! For god sakes, just admit you're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous!" Alex defended.

"Yes you were!" she shouted.

"Okay, so I was. That surprise you? You're my best friend. I don't want someone to hurt you."

"So you became a jealous friend?" she crossed her arms. "Pretty stupid if you ask me."

"I just…I don't wanna see Chris do what Jack did."

"He won't! For god sakes, Chris isn't jack! And the whole Jack thing probably wouldn't have happened if you didn't pay him to go out with me in the first place!"

"I know but…"

Cassie shook her head. "No Alex, you were really immature. You hurt me. Yet again. You keep doing this and I'll go to Japan and stay there."

"No please don't do that." An unusual tone found its way onto Alex's voice. "I was stupid okay. I get that. Come on, can't you just forgive me?"

"No." she stated.

"Please."

"No! You hurt me and you hurt Chris. You probably got Petey mad at you too."

"I'll fix it I swear. I don't want you mad at me anymore. Please CeCe. I lost you once and I don't want to lose you again."

"Then why did you act like such an ass Alex?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I was stupid. You know me."

"Yeah I do. Which is why I can't figure out why you keep doing this to me."

"Please Cas. I'm sorry. I really am." Alex pleaded. "Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness? Because I can."

Cassie sighed. "You have to apologize to everyone."

"I will. As soon as this interview is done I'll find them and apologize." He nodded.

"The begging on the knees thing might help."

Alex quickly got down to his knees.

"Better." She looked down at him, seeing the desperate face. "I'll forgive you on one condition."

"Anything." He breathed.

"You won't do this again. I'm tired of getting hurt. And half of it tends to come because of you. No more."

"I promise." He nodded.

Cassie thought for a moment before nodding as well. "Fine. I forgive you."

A grin fell on Alex's face as he stood and hugged Cassie, though she didn't return it.

"Thanks Cas."

"Yeah whatever. At least it'll make working together less stressful." She rubbed her temples as Jeremy Borash walked back over.

"Time to shine." Alex grinned.

She rolled her eyes and plastered on a fake smile.

"Ready?" Jeremy asked.

Cassie and Alex glanced at each other before nodding.

* * *

**A/N: so those two are remotely back as friends now. how long it'll last who knows. and i sense a few others liking Cassie as well...maybe a certain cutie from team canada? who knows i guess...i especially don't. hope you enjoyed it.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen:**

* * *

_Interview_

* * *

"We're here with Alex Shelley and the new TNA Knockout who made an impact full debut last Sunday at the PPV." Jeremy Borash turned to Alex and Cassie. "Can you tell us who exactly she is Alex and why she's here?"

"Now see that's an easy one JB." Alex smirked down at Cassie. "While I was doing my oh so familiar camera work, sneaking around and all, I remembered my old partner in crime. So I called Cassie here up for a little help. That and I really don't like it when women get in my face for just doing my job." He rubbed his face where Jackie had hit him.

"Hold on there JB." Jeff Jarrett's voice came through as he, AMW, and Team Canada came waltzing over.

"What's up uncle Jeff." Alex smirked.

"What's this I hear about hiring her." Jeff eyes Cassie.

"Don't worry about it Jeff. Everything's all good."

"Can we trust her?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course." Alex nodded. "I trained along side her. Ask Scott here."

Jeff turned to Scott who was grinning from ear to ear. "He has a point. It'll give us an advantage. Believe me. She's one hell of a fighter. Taught her everything I know."

Jeff thought for a moment before scanning over Cassie again. "Alright. She's good then."

* * *

"So, I had an interesting conversation with Alex a little bit ago." Chris mused as Cassie sat down beside him in catering.

"Really? Anything worth sharing?" she raised an eyebrow, though already knowing he had apologized.

"Said he was sorry about it all. Not sure if I completely believe him. But I forgave him anyways." He shrugged. "I'm taking it was your doing."

"Might have been." She stated.

Chris smirked. "So I caught the interview. Very nice. Who needs speaking?"

Cassie punched him in the arm. "Shut up."

"Just kidding." He rubbed hi arm. "When did you get so good?"

"When I was in Japan. You know if I go back there, I could probably take on everyone else without even breaking a sweat." She teased.

"I like you the way you are. No more trips to Japan." He poked her in the ribs.

"So do you have a match on the next taping at all?" Cassie asked, poking him back.

"Yeah, against Alex himself."

"Oh yeah, forgot you were in that six man tag match. Whose your partners?"

"Sonjay and Jay Lethal." He answered. "Pretty good group. Just make sure you don't cheat to make your team win."

"I don't cheat…I just enhance the chances of winning." She smirked.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"Its true!"

"Uh huh." He tickled her.

"Ugh." Cassie jumped up.

"Ah, come on." Chris motioned for her to sit back down.

"No more tickling." She glared.

"Scouts honor." He grinned.

"You were never in scouts." She grumbled, but sat back down.

"Hence why I can lie." Chris smirked before tickling her again.

"Aww, look at them. Isn't that just cute." Roderick smirked at Austin as the two walked over.

Cassie glared at the two before moving so she was across from Chris instead. Roderick immediately sat beside Chris, while Austin beside her.

"So how are you two?" Austin asked.

Chris and Cassie exchanged an eye roll.

"We're just great. We're planning on getting married next week and then having kids right after that."

"Seriously?" Austin looked at them like they were crazy.

Cassie rolled her eyes before hitting Austin over the head. "No you idiot."

"Ow." He mumbled. "You don't know me well enough to hit me."

"I know enough." She stuck out her tongue.

Roderick rolled his eyes. "You did deserve it Austin."

"Shove it Roderick." He kicked the man under the table.

"Has anyone told you two you act like kids?" Cassie asked.

"Chris tells us that at least once a week." Austin nodded.

She laughed.

"Hi."

All heads turned to Alex who had approached the table.

"Hey." Austin greeted. "Wanna sit?"

"I actually need Cassie." He stated, trying to ignore the small glare Chris shot him.

"Why?" Cassie asked.

"About the match."

"Hey, we're in that match too you know." Roderick raised an eyebrow.

"Uh right…yeah, I meant all of you." His face turned to disappointment.

Cassie exchanged looks with the other men at the table before shrugging.

"Lets go then." She, Austin and Roderick stood. "See you later Chris."

"Yeah." He nodded as she kissed his cheek before they walked away.

* * *

"Nervous?" Austin asked Cassie as they stood outside the heel entrance ramp.

"Not at all." She lied.

"Just do what you do best Cas." Alex smiled.

"Does that mean your giving me permission to kick your ass?" she asked with a smirk.

Alex frowned. "Forget I said that."

Roderick laughed. "Just follow what we planned and it'll go alright."

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Well we're up." Austin nodded at the tunnel.

Cassie sighed and slowly walked out at Alex's side. A mixture of cheers and boo's were given to the three. The cheers mostly for those who appreciated their amazing talent, and the boo's for those who hated the heels and loved the faces. It was like this anywhere in the world.

"Making their way to the ring, being accompanied by Cassie Collins, Weighing in at a combined weight of 640 lbs, the team of Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Alex Shelley!"

The four walked down the ramp and slid into the ring. The three men posed on the different sides of the ring before they all stood together while the competitors came out.

"As the challengers, weighing in at a combined weight of 625 lbs, the team of Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin, and Sonjay Dutt!"

Cassie shoved down a smile as she and Chris caught each other's glances. She saw him wink at her the slightest before their team slipped into the ring as well. Seconds later and Cassie was out at ringside, watching the start of the match. The match held no sides, both having equal upper hands. It kept going back and forth, until Alex, Austin and Roderick were all flipped out of the ring. Before she could check on them, the team still in the ring ran and flipped over the ropes, landing on those below. Cassie bit her lip as the TNA fans cheered wildly. Thankfully, when Jay Lethal brought Alex into the ring, leaving the ref and the other four men on the outside, the moment of opportune rose. Cassie mentally thanked it wasn't Chris in the ring for this before quickly latching out and grabbing Lethal's legs as he bounced of the nearest ropes. He turned around and looked down. With his back now turned, Alex came up behind him, gave him a low blow and rolled him up. She called the ref to the ring, allowing for Alex to win the match.

"And your winners by pin fall…Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, and Austin Aries!"

Cassie slid back into the ring as the three raised their arms in victory. She flashed them grins in celebration as Alex put an arm around her.

"Good job Cas." He winked.

She nodded in a smile as they left the ring for the backstage area.

"You know, I think we just found out why we like you so much." Roderick grinned as he pushed Alex away and put his own arm around her.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "And here I thought it was all because of my wonderful personality and how amazingly hot I look."

"That just ads to it." Austin winked.

She laughed while Alex glared at him.

"What dude? Just stating a fact." Austin clapped his shoulder. "Well I'm going to go get a shower. Matches like these tend to get me…"

"Sweaty and stinky?" Cassie smirked.

"Just about." He nudged her before passing.

"Yeah, same here. Oh hey, what are you up to tonight?" Roderick asked.

"I was planning on robbing a bank why?"

"Wanted to see If you wanted to come to a club with us and a few others."

"Well, I could always rob a bank tomorrow night…" Cassie grinned. "So I'm totally there."

Alex chuckled. "I'm going to head off with them. How about we meet you in the parking lot after the show?"

"Yeah sounds good." She nodded. "Bye guys."

The two waved before walking off.

"Already partying?" Eric Young came from behind.

Cassie jumped.

"Holy crap Eric. Don't do that." She breathed. "Damn you scared me."

"Sorry." He smiled shyly.

"No worries. I only lost one of my lives."

"One of your lives?" Eric looked at her confused.

"See, I always thought the whole, 9 lives thing for a cat was cool, so I decided as humans we should have the same law."

He laughed.

"Well it wasn't that funny." She mumbled.

"No, it was just…well ah…different." He stated, trying to stop his laughter.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "You can stop laughing now Eric."

"Sorry." He looked down, though little laughs still coming out.

"So watcha up to?" she asked.

"Nothing, just about to go out for a match with Bobby." He peered up the heel entrance cautiously. "Against 3D."

"Good luck E.Y." she winked at him. "I gotta go though. I feel all dirty in these clothes now."

He smiled. "Alright, catch you later?"

"I'll see you Friday for the BCW show don't worry."

"Glad your going." He grinned now.

"Yeah, so am I."

* * *

**A/N: so not much interesting stuff happens in this chapter, just really a transitional one.**

**if you looked closely, there were a few hints to some new romance possibilites...i wont say them, as it would ruin the fun. but read back and look between the lines. i'm sure you guys will be able to figure it out...and if not, you'll find out eventually anyways lol.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen:**

"Who said you could look that hot?" Petey raised an eyebrow and whistled once he saw Cassie later that night while they waited for everyone else.

"God." She smirked.

"I like this god." He grinned.

"Petey, I'm right here you know." Traci slapped him over the head.

Cassie laughed as Petey nervously laughed.

"You of course look a lot hotter." He said.

"Uh huh." Traci rolled her eyes, exchanging a look with Cassie.

"Dude, am I dreaming, or am I witnessing an angel on earth?" an unfamiliar voice walked towards us.

Cassie looked up to see the tag team she remembered as The Naturals.

"That was just pathetic Chase." Petey rolled his eyes. "Guys, this is Cassie. Cassie, Andy Douglas, and Chase Stevens."

Cassie smiled at the two, looking them over.

"Dude, she's checking me out." Chase grinned.

"No, she's checking me out." Andy glared at Chase.

"No."

"Yeah."

"No."

"Yeah."

Cassie, Petey, and Traci looked at one another before shaking their heads and laughed.

"So whose all hanging tonight?" Cassie asked, eyeing as the two had their amusing fight.

"Us three, Alex, Roderick, Austin, Chris, probably Sonjay, Eric probably, AJ, Chris Daniels, and Matt Bentley." Petey answered.

"Damn, half the roster."

"Hey." Petey hit Cassie.

"Ow!" she pouted.

"Is she still doing the pouting thing?" Chris walked over.

"Just because it doesn't work on you, doesn't mean it doesn't work on others." She stuck out her tongue.

Chris rolled his eyes before looking her over. He had to control himself not to gap at her. She was situated in a cute, not to mention a somewhat revealing Black dress that fit her perfectly.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer." Cassie smirked, sensing him looking at her.

He immediately blushed and looked away as he noticed Chase and Andy arguing.

"What's that about?"

"Oh, they're arguing about who I was checking out."

Chris raised an eyebrow while she held up her hands in defense.

"I swear I was just looking. No touching."

Petey broke out in laughter.

"I saw touching."

Cassie punched Petey in the arm. "Don't lie Petesy."

He shot me a glare before turning back to Traci. Cassie rolled her eyes, as Chris got closer.

"Hey." She smiled at him.

"Hey." He replied with an amused look. "You know you should probably stop those two."

She looked behind him at Andy and Chase.

"But its so amusing." Cassie whined.

Chris rolled his eyes and pushed her towards them.

"Hey boys." She tried to interrupt them.

"No."

"Yeah."

"No."

"Yeah."

"Boys!"

Andy and Chase stopped and looked at Cassie.

"How about we just say I was checking both you guys out."

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"We better go. See you around Angel." Chase winked as Andy pushed him away.

Cassie laughed before catching notice of Alex and the rest of the people who was coming along.

"Cassie, I didn't know you could look that good." Austin looked her up and down.

"Thanks." She curtsied.

"Stop looking dude." Alex pushed him along.

Roderick and AJ laughed as they nodded at Cassie.

"Oh by the way, in case you didn't know, this is Matt Bentley. You know the other ones." Alex introduced.

"Hi." Cassie smiled at the new man.

Matt returned the smile, as he too looked her up and down.

"Stop looking dude." Austin mocked Alex.

Cassie meanwhile rolled her eyes and joined up with Eric who was walking alone.

"Hey Eric." She smiled, falling into step beside him.

"Hey Cassie." He smiled shyly.

"How come you're walking alone?"

"Not that good of friends with all these guys. I'm mostly just friends with Petey, and a bit friendly with Chris, AJ, and Alex." He admitted.

"Hey, what am I? Chop liver?" Cassie pretended to be hurt.

Eric eased up a bit and laughed.

"There's my favourite E.Y. laugh." She wrapped, or tried to wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Tip, duck down."

Eric grinned.

"Men." Cassie shook her head.

"You know you love us though." Eric said.

"True. I'm a totally guy-lover." She smiled, nudging Eric. "So you coming clubbing?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Save me a dance?"

"Ah…" his eyes darted around. "I can't dance." He whispered.

"Everyone can dance." Cassie insisted. "And don't worry, most say I can't dance either. But who cares what they think eh? Come on, it'll be fun."

"I guess." He sounded hesitant, yet his blue eyes sparkled.

"Good." She smiled back. "I can't wait."

"Yeah me too." He smiled and looked down.

Cassie chuckled at him before seeing Chris wave her over.

"I'll catch you at the club alright?"

"Yeah, see ya Cas." He told her before she smiled one last time and walked off towards Chris.

"Hey."

"Hi back at you." Chris smiled. "I was just wondering if you wanted to join me to the club?"

"Sure." She nodded cheerfully.

"You seem quite cheerful." He mused as the two entered his car.

"I'm a happy person." She retorted.

"As long as you don't drink while your happy I'll be good." He rolled his eyes and started the engine.

"Hey, last time wasn't my fault!" she defended.

"Uh huh."

"It's all Petey and Jimmy's fault. They challenged me to a drinking contest. You know I can't back down from a challenge." Cassie held up her hands.

Chris glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "I totally believe you Cas.

She scowled. "No you don't. It's the truth though."

"Alright, alright, I believe you." He smiled with amusement. "I'll make sure no one challenges you to a drinking contest again."

"You know Petey will. Knowing him and all." She rolled her eyes.

"Probably."

"And then I'll get hopelessly drunk and you can be my knight in shining armor for the second time."

"Won't that be fun." He stated sarcastically, though deep down, he truly meant it.

"Course it will be. You love me remember." She winked.

"Don't I know it."

* * *

**A/N: so far, for the club scene, i see it ending with a drunk Cassie and someone who may or may not be Chris as the 'knight in shining armor'. who do you think it could be?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen:**

"But I don't wanna dance Traci!" Petey whined.

"Oh come on Petey!" she put her hands on her hips.

"You know how much I hate it"

"And you know how much I don't care. Just come on." Traci grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dance floor.

"I bet you ten bucks he'll step on her feet on purpose to get out of dancing." Cassie smirked.

"Oh come on, give the guy a little credit." Chris nudged her.

"I'll take that bet." Eric grinned, knowing Cassie was right.

Chris raised an eyebrow and shrugged. The three sat at the bar, watching as Petey tried messing up on purpose. Traci looked as If she was getting annoyed, but kept with it. Eventually, after half way through the song, Petey 'accidentally' stepped on Traci's feet on more than one occasion. The three laughed as Traci stomped off back to the group's table.

"You owe me and Eric ten bucks." Cassie held out her hand with a large smirk.

Chris glared but fished out two ten-dollar bills anyway.

"So what do you think we could get for this in Canadian money?" Cassie asked Eric.

"Enough." He chuckled.

Chris rolled his eyes. Cassie laughed at his face before noticing Austin leaning against an empty pool table while Alex, Roderick, AJ and Matt played on the one beside.

"I'm gonna go see Austin, don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone." She winked before walking in his direction.

"Hey Cassie." Austin grinned as she hopped up onto the pool table beside him.

"How's it going?" she asked, careful to keep her legs together, god knows she didn't need hormone crazy males looking up her dress.

"Good you?" he glanced at her.

"Great. Having so much fun." She grinned.

"You look nice by the way."

"Thanks, right back at you."

"Thanks." He took a swig of the beer in his hand.

"So who's winning?" Cassie nodded at the game going across from them.

"Matt." Austin smirked. "Though Alex is a bit mad at that."

"Whys that?" she raised an eyebrow.

"They're playing to see whoever gets to dance with you first." He chuckled.

"Interesting choice of prize. Normally, I would feel cheap…" she trailed off.

"And yet you don't."

"Nopes." Cassie grinned.

"AHA!" Matt grinned. "I win!"

"No fair. I want a rematch." Alex grumbled.

"Hell no, I won fair and square." He smirked.

"Sorry buddy, you did lose horribly." Roderick patted Alex's back, but laughing all the same.

"Guess you have your first dance partner." Austin mused.

"I suppose so." She retorted as she eyed Matt walking over to them.

"Hey beautiful." He smiled, leaning against the pool table beside Cassie.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "How may I help you."

"Care to dance?" he outstretched his hand.

"I don't know…depends on how badly you beat Alex over there."

"Badly." He smirked.

Cassie jumped off the table smoothly and grinned. "Lets go."

Alex glared as the two walked off towards the dance floor.

"You shouldn't have had that as the prize if you wanted to win so much." Roderick stated, noticing the look of jealousy on his friends face.

"Shut up Roderick." He mumbled, stalking off to where Daniels, Sonjay and Petey were talking.

"Lost again?" Daniels smirked at the younger man.

"Yes." Alex folded his arm and glared as the two danced.

"Maybe you should just tell her you like her dude." Sonjay suggested.

"I don't like her." He muttered.

The three looked at each other and then back at Alex.

"Sorry to bring you back to reality Alex, but you definitely do." Petey stated. "But I actually agree with you, you shouldn't tell her."

"What?" Alex's head snapped to his direction.

Petey shrugged. "You know Chris loves her. They had a good time last night, with the exception of you. Just leave it be. Just stay her friend."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Just because Chris loves her I should stand back and let him have her?"

"I thought you didn't like her?" Daniels raised an eyebrow.

"I don't." he muttered with a glare.

"So what your saying is that you don't like her, but you don't want Chris to have her? Isn't that just being selfish?" Sonjay asked.

"No." Alex stated.

"I would say it is." Chris said darkly from behind Alex.

"Yeah well I don't care what you think Sabin." Alex replied, just as cold.

"Dude, take it easy. But it is selfish." Petey stated.

"Shove off Petey, no one asked you."

"No, but when this has to do with my best friend, I deserve a say in it." He shot back.

"You know I bet you secretly want her again too." Alex glared.

Petey's face went pale while Traci looked around confused.

"You know what I'm talking about. You used to like her too. Weren't you even trying to ask her out behind Chris' back? You were telling the guy to go for it, but secretly, you were planning it too. What kind of friend is that huh Petey?" Alex smirked.

Petey swallowed hard as Chris looked at him in shock.

"Now you probably are just planning the exact same thing. You're probably tired of Traci here and going in for the one you wanted before she left. I see what your doing. Knock me out of the running and then you'll just have to play against Chris. You almost had her once before, you're probably thinking you're a shoe in now. Yeah Petey, great friend you are. And you're the one saying I'm the bad one." He finished, looking proud of himself.

Petey's eyes flashed in rage deeper than anyone had seen in the young Canadian's eyes before.

"Petey?" Traci touched his shoulder.

Petey just moved out of her touch and stood up. His fists were clenched, knuckles white. He was too mad to notice that their full group, except for Matt and Cassie, has crowded around them, waiting to see what would happen next.

"You bastard." He seethed before tackling the man off his seat and onto the ground.

"Get the hell off of me Williams." Alex growled, shoving him off.

Petey just went back and started hitting him, letting all his anger out. Alex wouldn't allow it though as he fought back, kneeing Petey now.

"What the hell is your problem." Alex glared viciously. "Your crazy."

"You're so fucking dead." Petey went to hit Alex again but was stopped by AJ and Daniels.

"Petey, don't." AJ warned his friend.

"Let me go AJ." He growled back.

"Yeah let him go AJ, lets see what the bastard of a Canadian can do." Alex smirked.

Petey pushed the two aside and lunged at Alex. Alex met him half way and punched him in the face and kneeing him in the stomach. Austin and Roderick grabbed Alex, pulling him back. AJ and Daniels meanwhile did the same to Petey.

"What's going on?" Cassie asked as she and Matt wedged their way through the new crowd.

Petey and Alex glared at one another, rage emitting from both men.

"Guys?" she looked between them.

"Nothing Cassie." Petey said through clenched teeth.

"What, you don't think she should know about your hidden agenda?" Alex smirked.

"Shut the hell up Shelley. You know it's a damn-fucking lie! I wouldn't do that!" Petey retorted.

"But you were planning on it in the past behind Chris' back. Jimmy can vouch for that." Alex stated.

"You're lying."

"I'll call him if you'd like." He raised an eyebrow cockily.

"Shut the hell up." Petey tried to struggle out of AJ's and Daniels' grasps.

"It's true isn't it Petey." Chris spoke from the sidelines.

Petey shook his head vigorously.

"Now who's lying."

"Shut up Alex." Petey glared.

"Don't you think they deserve the truth?"

"Shut up…"

"No, Alex is right, I do want to know the truth." Chris interrupted Petey.

"Chris I wouldn't…"

"No, the truth Petey." He said sharply.

"Guys, what's going on? What are you guys talking about? Your creating a…" Cassie looked on helplessly.

"Cassie." Alex, Chris and Petey said in unison, sharp tones.

"Just be quiet." Alex snapped.

Cassie looked on hurt as Eric came around and put a hand on her shoulder.

"So the truth Petey." Chris stepped forward to look at his friend clearly.

Petey looked around, seeing Traci almost in tears. When he saw Cassie, his heart broke at the expression on her face. He was stuck. He didn't know what to do.

"Petey."

"You don't have to say anything." AJ whispered to his friend.

Petey sighed. "Yes I do."

AJ nodded, though still not sure that his friend of many years should do something like this that could potentially ruin half of his friendships so quickly.

"Well?" Chris looked on expectedly.

Petey looked down and then back up to the face of Chris.

"It was kind of true." He muttered.

Chris' face paled. He couldn't believe what he just heard. All these years and he thought Petey was behind him one hundred percent. And now he finds out he was secretly planning on getting Cassie around him. He couldn't grasp it.

"Look I'm sorry Chris. It was a long time ago." Petey pleaded.

"What about now?" he asked darkly.

"Complete lie. I love Traci. I'm happy for you man."

"No your not." Alex spoke up.

"Shut it." Petey snapped.

"You can go on believing what you want Petey. But I know its true." Alex smirked before pushing Austin and Roderick back. "But I'm not going to let it happen. Mark my word."

And that was that before Alex sauntered off towards the exit. Chris looked at Petey before following slowly behind, not able to look at the face of the man who had betrayed him all of these years.

"Chris! Come on man!" Petey called after him.

Nothing. Chris just left the building. Petey's face fell as he felt AJ and Daniels let go of him. His head turned to Traci, but only found her shooting out of the building too. A sigh escaped his lips as he sat down in one of the chairs that hadn't been knocked down.

"Alright everyone, nothing left to see here." Matt told the gathered crowd.

The crowd looked on for a few more minutes before they all went back to their previous activities, leaving only those left in the group to watch on.

"What's going on?" Cassie asked. "And don't tell me to be quiet because I damn well deserve to know."

"Don't worry about it Cassie." Petey slumped in his seat.

Her face grew dark and looked to want to walk over to him.

"Leave him." Eric stopped her.

"But I deserve to know what just happened." She snapped.

"Later. Leave him be for now."

"Eric, I damn well want to know. Get out of my way." Cassie growled.

Eric's face grew hurt at the tone and stepped away, head down. Cassie sighed. She didn't mean to snap at him. It wasn't his fault. He was just trying to keep peace where there most likely wouldn't be. She couldn't be mad at that.

"Look I'm sorry Eric. I just don't get what just happened there." She told him.

He nodded, eyes still averted.

"Hey, can I make it up? How about a dance. I need something to take my mind off whatever the hell just happened there." She offered.

Eric looked up, waited for a minute and then nodded. While the two walked to the once again crowded dance floor, AJ walked over to Petey, motioning for the others to give them a minute.

"What did I just do AJ?" Petey mumbled, head in hands.

"You just admitted the cold hard truth Petey." He sighed.

"I just ruined it all." Petey's head rose. "Chris thinks I betrayed him, Alex is a jealous bastard that won't stop until he gets her, and Traci probably hates me."

"I know. But it would have come out sooner or later." AJ tried to reason.

"It didn't have to come out at all. It was so long ago."

"Is what Alex said true though? Is it still going on now?" AJ asked hesitantly, not wanting to offend him in any way.

"No." Petey answered immediately.

"Petey…"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I have no clue if I am or not."

"You should figure it out. Before you hurt more people." AJ suggested.

"Yeah." Petey sighed again. "I need to get drunk."

"Don't drink away your problems. That happened before. It wasn't pretty."

"AJ, I need to." Petey looked at his friend seriously.

AJ sighed but nodded. "I'll leave you to it then. Want me to go see what's up with Traci?"

"Could you man?"

AJ nodded. "I'll see you later. And don't go over board."

"I know."

"Take care Pete."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just remember that you can't change the past, but you can fix the present."

"I know."

* * *

**A/N: bet none of you were expecting that to happen.**

**Is Petey really trying to do what Alex said he is? is he planning again behind Chris' back?**

**Will Cassie ever find out? and if she does, how will she react? what's left of their friendship after this?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty:**

"So what was all of that?" Cassie slipped into the chair across from Petey once finished dancing with Eric.

"Nothing." He mumbled, taking a swig of his fifth beer.

"Oh come on Petey, I'm not stupid you know. I could clearly see you and Alex wanting to kill each other there. And then there was the whole 'truth' thing. Wanna let me in on what that was about?"

"No." he shrugged.

"Stop." Cassie grabbed the bottle out of his grasp.

"Give me it back Cassie." He growled.

"No. For one, I have a right to know as you guys are my best friends, and two, I'm not letting you drink away your problems." Her face grew serious.

"Just leave me alone Cas." Petey grumbled in reply.

Cassie sighed. This was harder then she thought it was going to be.

"Come on Petey, just tell me what's up?"

"It's nothing. Just forget about it." He grabbed the bottle back and drank the rest of its contents.

"Petey."

Petey just glared at her. She looked at him closely, seeing hurt, anger and depression behind those familiar eyes of his. She didn't know what was happening. For as long as Cassie could remember, she had never seen that kind of emotion in Petey's eyes before.

"Fine." Cassie shrugged, grabbing one of the untouched bottles.

"What are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Might as well give you a drinking partner." She stated, taking a sip of the alcohol.

She let the taste linger. It had been a bit since she last drank. The taste felt a bit weird on her tongue. But after a few more sips, it became all too familiar once more.

"Whatever." Petey shrugged back, watching her slowly.

"You really shouldn't be drinking away your problems though." She reasoned.

"Yeah well, I shouldn't really be taking advice from the woman who doesn't follow it herself." He snapped.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"Remember that night we got out of the hospital after our cage match. You got piss drunk over Jack and Alex, trying to drown out your problems with alcohol." Petey reminded.

The memory came flooding back to Cassie as she guiltily nodded.

"Alright, so that true. But still, you shouldn't do it."

"Whatever." He shrugged before grabbing another beer and starting on it.

She watched him before finishing her own.

"First one to thirty?" she asked suddenly.

His head popped over to her confused.

"Huh?"

"First one to thirty." She nodded towards where a waitress was bringing over a tray of shots to a table across the room.

Petey thought for a moment before nodded. "Sure, but you know I'll win."

"You only won because you cheated." She stuck out her tongue.

"I don't call it cheating, I call it enhancing my chances of winning." He mocked.

Cassie rolled her eyes before getting up. "I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" he looked at her quizzically.

"Nothing." She smirked before walking over to the exit.

Cassie quickly slid out of the club, entering the fresh humid night. She looked around before fishing out her cell phone. She needed to call Chris, see if she could get something out of about what that was all about. She just needed answers.

"Hello?" a gruff voice asked.

"Chris?"

"Oh hi Cassie." He sighed.

"Everything all right?" she asked concerned by his tone.

"Just peachy." He replied sarcastically.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Sorry about just leaving you there." He stated.

"No biggie, I have other people to drive me back anyways. So you wanna let me in on what that was?" Cassie asked, hoping he would tell her.

"Don't worry about it Cas. It was nothing." He refused to say.

Cassie sighed; this wasn't going to be easy. It had to be something bad, or else, they wouldn't be trying to keep this from her.

"Oh come on. That wasn't nothing. I wish people would just tell me what happened."

"Like I said Cas, it was nothing." Chris stated

"Chris!"

"Cassie, don't worry about it." He repeated a bit more forcefully.

Cassie narrowed her eyes as her shoe kicked the cement sidewalk below her feet.

"Fine whatever." She mumbled.

"Look, I'm sorry." He sighed. "Want me to come get you later?"

"No. I'll have someone here drive me."

"You sure?" he made sure.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow all right. What time are you and Petey leaving for the airport?" he asked.

"Around eight. Our flight is for ten thirty." She replied.

"I'll see you at seven then."

"But I won't be up then." She whined.

He chuckled. "I'll see you at six then."

"What, no!" but she couldn't finish as he hanged up. "Rude much?"

She just shrugged her shoulders before walking back into the club. After dodging around the lengthier crowd, Cassie soon found Petey working on what appeared to be his eighth beer. She sighed and grabbed it from him as she sat down back in her previous seat.

"Hey!" he drawled.

"Hey yourself. Don't get too hammered, remember first to thirty?"

"Yeah yeah." He waved at a waitress who walked their way with two trays of shots, each with thirty shot glasses.

Cassie grinned, looking over at Petey who was looking warily at them.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Whenever you are." He challenged.

"Oh no…what are you two doing?" Daniels walked over to us.

"Just a little drinking contest." Cassie smirked.

"I don't even wanna know." He rolled his eyes, yet stood to watch.

"Alright, on three."

Petey nodded. "One…"

He waited for a moment, watching curiously as Cassie smirked.

"Three." She dodged into the many glasses and grabbed two.

"That's cheating Cas." He growled before doing the same.

* * *

"Whose winning?" Roderick asked.

"So far Petey." Sonjay looked on amused as they reached their 20th glass. "Now she's pulled ahead.

"How hammered are they?" Roderick chuckled.

"Very." Austin inserted. "Who takes on designated drivers tonight?"

"I'll take Petey." Eric shrugged. "His room is across from mine anyways."

"Anyone for Cassie?" Austin asked, looking around at their smaller group of himself, Roderick, Eric, Sonjay and Daniels.

"I walked." Sonjay shrugged. "So I'm out."

"I have a flight to catch tonight." Daniels shook his head. "I should probably actually leave now."

"Take care man, and drive carefully." Roderick nodded,

"Only had one beer." He assured. "See you guys. Tell me who wins."

"Will do." Sonjay grinned.

"So I guess we'll take her then?" Austin looked at Roderick.

"Fine with me. You have to drive though. I've had a few too many as well. You've only had one." Roderick insisted.

"Yeah alright." Austin nodded.

"So what are they at now?" Eric asked.

"25." Sonjay answered.

"Who do you thinks gonna win?" Austin asked.

"Petey. He won last time." Eric answered.

"I'm going with Cassie." Roderick shook his head. "Look at her, she's like a drinking machine."

"Too much practice maybe?" Austin asked with an amused smirk.

"You never know." Roderick laughed.

"YES!" Cassie stood up quickly, almost knocking the table over, and successfully knocking half of her empty glasses over. "I win."

"No fair." Petey pouted.

Cassie giggled like a little girl.

"You lose itty bitty Petey." She giggled hysterically.

Austin raised an eyebrow. "Shall we take them off now?"

"I think so. Cassie can't even stand up straight." Sonjay raised an eyebrow at the young woman who kept staggering while just standing still.

She tried to grab onto the edge of the table, but she miscalculated her hand and fell onto the ground. Austin chuckled before helping her up and putting an arm around her.

"Alright, I think it's about time we got you back to the hotel."

"But the night's only started." She slurred with a goofy, child like grin.

"I think it's about ending for you two." He looked as Eric helped Petey up who looked like he was ready to pass out at any minute.

"You want help with him to his car?" Sonjay asked.

Eric nodded before getting Petey's keys from his pants pockets and putting an arm around him Sonjay took up the other side, and together they slowly half dragged the hammered man out of the still crowded night club.

"Alright there Cassie, time to take you home." Austin started moving before feeling her slipping out of his grasp.

She fell back to the ground, though this time passed out.

"Alrightie then. She better appreciate this man." Austin rolled his eyes and picked her up into his arms.

Roderick chuckled as he walked ahead of Austin, creating a small lane way to get out. Once outside the two walked towards Austin's rental car near the front of the parking lot.

"Open the door will you." Austin threw the keys at Roderick.

He nodded and opened the back seat for him. Austin carefully knelt in the back and laid her down across the seat. After a moment of checking to make sure she wouldn't fall off at a sudden stop, he came back out and closed the door. Roderick handed him the keys before walking over to the passenger seat and got in. Austin meanwhile got into the drivers seat and started up the engine.

* * *

"Good luck with her." Roderick chuckled as they reached his room, ten down from Austin's.

"Thanks." He replied sarcastically. "You sure you don't know where she's staying?"

Roderick shook his head. "Sorry dude but no. Take her to yours. Or Chris'."

"I'll take her to mine." Austin sighed.

"Alright. Well good luck. Oh and tell her I'll see her in two weeks at the next tapings."

"Will do. Night man."

"Night." Roderick entered his room.

Austin sighed and returned down the hall towards his room. As he reached it though, a figure protruded from inside.

"Alex?" Austin raised an eyebrow, shifting Cassie in his arms a bit.

Alex turned and looked at them confused.

"What's up with her?" he nodded at Cassie.

"Drinking contest. Where are you going?" Austin replied.

"Partying. You know when I get mad the only thing that can calm me down is clubbing." Alex shrugged. "You want in here?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

Alex nodded as well and opened the door for them. Before Austin could enter though, Alex stopped him.

"Don't even think to try anything with her." He told his friend pointedly.

"Alex, I'm not that kind of person." Austin rolled his eyes.

"Just making sure." He shrugged before letting them past.

"You're going to be here for when she leaves right?" Austin asked before Alex left.

"Maybe." He answered before leaving.

Austin watched as the door closed before looking around the room. Seeing Alex's bed first, he walked over and lightly laid Cassie onto it. Since Alex was going to be out all night, he could afford to use it. That and Austin would rather any bodily fluids being thrown up to fall on not his own bed.

"Mmhhmm." Came from Cassie as her eyes opened slightly.

"And the princess awakes." Austin smirked, sitting down beside her on the bed.

"You look pr-per-p-perty." She slurred.

"I think you mean pretty. And thanks." He winked. "You too."

"I said that." She pouted, going to poke him, but missed horrible and hitting dead air.

Austin chuckled before feeling her forehead. "You should get back to sleep. You're going to be throwing up soon enough anyways."

"I'm good…you have a pr-p-perty eye." She giggled.

That made Austin laughed as she giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Thanks Cassie, always loving the…rather odd drunk comments." He mused. "But you should really get some rest."

She nodded before closing her eyes tightly. He raised an eyebrow before she opened them again.

"Nope, can't sl-sleep." She stuttered.

"Oh come on, that was a bad attempt." He rolled his eyes before standing up. "Here, you try while I got get you a bucket or something."

"kk." She replied perkily.

Austin shook his head before searching around the room for something to use as a vomit bucket. He soon caught site of the garbage pail and smirked. He quickly grabbed it and turned back towards the bed. A smile broke out as he saw her small form curled up in a ball on the bed; eyes closed easily, a small snore coming from her.

"Night Cassie." He whispered, setting the pail beside the bed and lifting the sheets over her small form. "Sleep tight…for now. If you need me I'll be right here." He lightly kissed the top of her forehead before pulling up a seat beside her bed.

* * *

**A/N: told you i would have a drunk Cassie in here somewhere lol. i know most of you thought it would be Eric as the savior...but i mixed it up and had it as Austin. it was a tough toss up though. probably a last minute decision.**

**so whats going to happen in the morning? **

**will Alex come back to say goodbye, and what happens when he does? **

**a****nd what will happen to the group now? **

**and what happens when Cassie sees Lacey once again?**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

"That was the worst night ever." Cassie fell backwards onto the bed at 5:30 am that morning after what seemed like the millionth visit to the toilet to throw her insides up.

"That should teach you not to drink like that again." Austin stated seriously as he sat beside her on the bed.

Cassie rolled her eyes and leaned up on her elbows. She watched as Austin rubbed his tired eyes roughly. She knew he stayed up all night. Hence why she felt an immense amount of guilt. She never meant to put him through so much trouble.

"Sorry. You can sleep you know." She offered.

"No. It's fine." He waved it off, though dark circles were beginning to creep below his eyes, showing signs of no sleep.

"No its not. You're dead tired. You should sleep." Cassie patted the bed with a palm.

"Not its alright." He insisted.

"Are you sure?" she looked at him skeptically.

He nodded with determination.

"Alright fine." She shrugged. "I should go anyways, Chris said he'd meet me at 6."

"I thought you were leaving at eight?" Austin raised an eyebrow.

"I am." She grumbled. "But Chris evilly wants to see me at six."

He chuckled. "How awful for you."

"Yeah well." She slowly got off the bed. "Your not cool."

"Hey, I'm the one who had no sleep just to make sure you'd be okay." He stood up and looked down at her amusingly.

"I never made you do that." She returned.

"True. But I was nice enough. I could have just left you at the club by yourself with a lot of guys who would have loved to take advantage of you."

Her face fell.

"Alright alright. I get it. Thank you oh so much Austin. I totally owe you big time." she rolled her eyes.

"You sure do. I'll hold you to it." He smirked.

"Good to know. But I should really head off to my room now. Make sure I get everything packed." She started towards the door.

"Be careful." He took notice of the small stagger still in my steps.

"I'm fine Austin." She waved.

Austin rolled his eyes as she bumped into the desk where the ice bucket was. It fell, spilling its contents to the ground at her feet. She groaned and knelt down beside the mess, trying to clean it up. Austin though, swooped over and stopped her.

"I've got it. Don't worry."

"Sorry." She mumbled.

He smirked. "No harm done. Well except to the poor ice."

"Shut up." Cassie glared at him.

"Sorry." Though his smirk still in tact. "You should go." He stood.

She nodded and stood as well. She went to turn to leave before looking back at Austin. She quickly hugged the man and kissed him on the cheek before going towards the door.

"Thanks again Austin. You're definitely a gentleman. I owe you big time." she called before sneaking past the door.

Austin sighed as he watched her go. It would be an interesting two weeks without the girl he had just met days ago.

* * *

"…And I'll see you later. Tell Petey it's over between us. Bye. Traci." Cassie finished reading the note that was attached to her pillow as she walked in minutes later.

An eyebrow rose as she noticed Traci's things were in fact gone.

"Alright, so that definitely wasn't nothing." She muttered before grabbing her suitcase. "Stupid guys. Why I chose to be best friends with them is beyond me. I could have had nice pretty girly friends. But no, I just had to get guys. Stupid mentality. I'll never trust my instinct again."

"Talking to yourself Cas? Always knew you were mentally instable." Alex's voice came from the doorway.

Cassie flipped around. "How did you…?"

"The door wasn't closed all the way." He shrugged and walked in. "where's Traci?"

"She left." She nodded at the note on the bed.

"So I see your getting ready too." He sat beside the suitcase and flipping through the contents. "A bit early isn't it?"

"Yeah well, might as well make an early start I always say." She shrugged.

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Alright alright, so I was up practically all night." She sighed.

"Bad hangover?" Alex smirked.

"Shut up." She mumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes. That's what you get for getting yourself into those drinking contests."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "And where have you been Mr. Shelley? Out partying I'm guessing."

"Yep. But at least I'm not drunk." He continued to smirk.

"Oh shut up. And get out of my stuff." She brushed his hand away as he was about to grab at her unmentionables.

"Aww Cas, I was just looking." He raised his hands in defense.

"Yeah whatever Lex." She rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom to make sure she didn't leave anything in there.

"So…" Alex got up and followed her, leaning against the doorway. "When are you leaving?"

"Petey is coming here at quarter to eight. Our flight is at ten thirty." Cassie answered.

"Fun." He stated sarcastically.

"I didn't know it was." She brushed past him.

He chuckled before following.

"So, you wanna tell me what was going on back at the club?" Cassie turned and looked at him.

Alex stopped himself before slamming into the woman. He looked down at her with his head cocked to the side as if he was thinking. Finally, he shook his head no.

"Don't worry about it Cas." He smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."

She raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off.

"So, when are you going back to Detroit?" she asked, zipping her now packed bag.

"Later today probably. Maybe early tomorrow. Haven't decided yet." He replied.

She nodded and turned around. "Make sure you call when you get in."

"I will. Stop mothering me." he rolled his eyes.

She playfully punched him.

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't so immature."

"That hurt Cas, deeply." He dramatically held his hand over his heart.

"Oh stop being a drama queen." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"But you know I love it." He whined.

"I always knew you were gay." She smirked.

His face paled. "I'm not gay. I swear. I like girls. I can prove it if you'd like."

"No. I get it. You rather guys over girls. I get that, and I don't judge you."

"I'm not gay!" he exclaimed.

"Whatever you say Alex." She grabbed her bag and brought it off her bed.

"I'm not!" he defended.

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes.

Alex narrowed his own eyes. "At least I don't fall for the stupid ones."

Cassie looked at him. "That was a bit uncalled for." Her voice held a hint of hurt in it, knowing he was speaking of Chris."

He shrugged. "It's true."

"I thought you got over this." She sighed.

"No, I just said I did. I never actually got over it." He stated.

She glared at him before hearing a knock at the door. "Work on not being an ass while I get that."

"I can't promise anything." Alex smirked, watching her backside as she walked towards the door. His eyes lingered farther down and stopped, just as any male would have.

"Hey Petey." She greeted the Canadian. "Damn you look like hell."

Petey, with his sickly pale face, glared at her. "You don't look much better yourself." He growled.

She shrugged before letting him in. "so how was your night?"

"Damn right awful. I didn't get any sleep and now I have a migraine the size of Toronto." He moaned before seeing Alex. His eyes narrowed, face growing darker.

"Hey Petey, rough night?" Alex smirked.

"Fuck off Shelley." Petey grunted in response.

Cassie looked at the hostility between the two men. Something huge did happen the other night. Although they kept saying it was nothing, it most certainly was something. And she was determined to figure out what it was. One way or another.

"Whatever your problems are drop it alright." She huffed.

"Whatever." Alex shrugged; smirk still plastered on his face.

"So why are you here so early?" she asked, ignoring Alex.

Petey shrugged. "Not like I had anything better to do. Thought I'd come see if you needed any help packing. You tend to leave things to the last minute."

"True. But I'm a fast packer. Just finished." She nodded at her bag.

"Dang, I missed the fun." He stated sarcastically.

"You sure did." She grinned.

Petey rolled his eyes before there was a knock at the door.

"That's probably Chris." Cassie started towards the door but Petey stopped her.

"What's he doing here?" Petey asked, the dark look falling over him again.

"He said he'd come over early to say bye." She shrugged. "What's up with you all? Wait, let me guess, this has to do with the 'nothing' that happened yesterday right?"

Both Alex and Petey looked away.

"I knew it. Why the hell wont you three just tell me what it was about?" she demanded.

"Like I said earlier Cas, you'll find out soon enough." Alex smirked.

"Fuck off." Petey gritted at him.

"What Petey, don't think she'll ever find out. She's a smart girl. She'll figure it out eventually."

"Leave it alone Shelley." Petey stepped forward.

"Why? So you can just go lie about it for another few years. Don't you think people deserve to know?" Alex too took a step forward.

"Guys, stop it." Cassie looked between the two, as the knocks grew longer.

"Are you prominent on wrecking everyone's lives Alex? Do you really think that wrecking everyone, she'll just fall for you?" Petey snapped.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "What are you guys talking about?"

"At least I have better chances than you do. That and at least I'd be forward about it. I'm not the one who goes behind their own friends back to get something I want." Alex retorted, closing the gap between them.

Cassie sighed before walking over to them and trying to push them back away from each other. It took a bit of strength, but she was finally able to get in between the two.

"Will you two stop. God you guys are acting like little kids!" she glared at the two.

"We're just saying it how it is Cas." Alex shrugged.

"Couldn't you guys not fight for one day? I have no fucking clue what the hell is going on here, but stop it already. I don't enjoy seeing my best friends fight constantly. Keep this up and I'll be on the next plane to Japan. And you really wont see me again." She threatened.

Both men looked to want to say something but didn't. Neither wanted her to go.

"Now could you two separate while I go answer the door?"

Petey and Alex looked away and nodded before Alex sat on the bed with a bored expression and Petey went to sit on the couch facing the TV. Cassie looked at the two before sighing and going towards the door.

"Sorry about that." She opened it to find a slightly annoyed Chris.

"No problem. Almost thought you were dead there for a minute, but your not so it's alright." He mumbled before walking in.

He immediately stopped in his tracks as he saw the other two occupants of the room. Both Alex and Petey ignored Chris' presence, as if he wasn't even there at all.

"Please don't start. I really don't need this right now." Cassie sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling a large migraine coming.

"Why are they here?" Chris asked, ignoring Cassie's plead not to.

Something inside of her snapped.

"Will you three stop this!" she exclaimed loudly, gaining all of their stares. "Just stop whatever your doing. I have no clue what this is about, but just stop. Please. I can't take fighting anymore. I swear, keep this up and I will god damn leave!" she stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

She sat on the closed toilet seat, listening to the silence outside the bathroom. She had hoped that with her storming off, the three might talk, get over whatever this whole fight was about. Of course, a plan never fell together anymore perfectly.

"Nice going Chris. Make her angry. Good going. You're doing just great with her. Can't wait for the wedding. Let me guess, that would end just like this on the wedding night." Alex smirked from the bed, which he was lounging on lazily.

"Fuck off Alex." Chris snapped.

"Oh, I'm sure Petey agrees with me though. Eh Petey?" Alex nodded at the other man.

"Go to hell." Petey said through clenched teeth.

"Make me."

"I'm sure everyone will love to do so." Chris reeled.

"Ooo, I'm so scared Chris. What are you going to do, glare at me to death?" Alex snickered.

Chris snapped and lounged at Alex. Alex's eyes widened, surprised by his former friend, but dodged off the bed to safety.

"Can't even do that right." Alex shook his head, standing up and dusting off the imaginary dirt off his clothes. "What can you do Chris?"

Chris' eyes narrowed. He was beyond angry. This was beyond anything he had ever felt before in his life. He didn't know why, but he felt a sudden urge to hurt the man standing in front of him. This time when Chris went for Alex, he connected. Chris tackled him to the ground, shocking both of them, as well as Petey, who was now watching in shock.

"Get the fuck off me Sabin." Alex growled, trying to the push the man off him.

Petey, having a strong feeling that this wasn't what Cassie needed before they left for Windsor, he began to intervene. He left the safety of the couch and walked towards the two wrestling men who were rolling on the ground.

"Guys." Petey shouted.

They ignored him. Petey sighed before grabbing Chris, who was now having the upper hand, and ripping him off Alex.

"Stop it you guys, Cas doesn't need this."

"Get your hands off me Williams." Chris snapped Petey off of him.

Petey glared. "I was just trying to help."

"And I'm supposed to believe that. Last time you said you were helping, you went behind my back. I tend to not want to believe you anymore Petey." Chris glared at him.

"You going to let him talk to you like that Petey?" Alex got up with a smirk and joined the two men.

Both Chris and Petey sent him equally dangerous looks of disgusts. This only drove Alex into smirking harder.

"Why the hell are you even here Alex?" Petey grunted.

"Ah, try she's my best friend." Alex shrugged cockily with an eye roll.

"Oh yeah, because hurting her beyond belief is always what best friend do." Chris rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"At least she's had sex with me. Not something you can say you've done." Alex smirked, looking quite proud with himself.

Petey, Chris, and even Cassie gaped. Petey and Chris were both in shock. Cassie meanwhile, couldn't believe Alex muttered out those words. They had been true unfortunately. The two of them did have sex. But in the far past. Cassie admitted along time ago that it didn't mean anything. She made Alex swear not to tell anyone, especially their friends. Their agreement worked out fine. Until a few seconds ago.

"What?" Chris barely whispered out.

"Oh you heard me Chris. We had sex. Long, passionate sex. Quite nice really. Lets just say she has talent outside of the ring to. If you know what I mean." Alex grinned.

"When?" Petey stuttered out.

"When we were 19." He continued to grin.

"Why?" Petey wanted to know.

"Well…if you must know, I personally think she had a…"

"Alex." Cassie stepped from the bathroom, completely flustered with angry. "Don't you dare go any farther with that sentence.

"Oh come on Cas, it was going to get out eventually. You can't keep secrets your whole life." Alex looked between Chris and Petey amusingly. "We know it doesn't work for these two."

Cassie ignored the last comment and walked forward. She didn't even give Petey or Chris a second glance as she slapped Alex. His head snapped to the side and remained there for a moment.

"How dare you Alex! You promised me you wouldn't say anything. You promised me!" she yelled at him.

Alex remained looking to the side.

"I can't believe you. You told the one thing I didn't want people to know. You completely just ruined the trust I had in you." She glared.

"Why don't you want people to know? What, are you ashamed you had sex with me?" Alex looked at her, clearly hurt by her statement.

"We're best friends Alex, or we were. I never wanted to lose that. Doing that that night was a mistake. Even you yourself said it was." Cassie defended herself.

"Well I apparently lied!" he growled. "I loved it. It wasn't a mistake to me."

She looked at him shocked.

"Is that a surprise to you Cas? Because your pretty stupid if it is." His hurt turned to anger.

"Don't call me stupid." She narrowed her eyes.

"Whatever." He glanced at the two men behind her, who looked both, hurt and like they wanted to kill him. "Have such a great time in Windsor Cas." He shot at her sarcastically.

Cassie watched angrily as he turned and walked out the room. As the door slammed, she kept her back to the two other men.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Petey asked.

Cassie closed her eyes tightly before turning and looking at him and Chris, who was now currently sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

"It never came up." She muttered.

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't have told us. I could see if it happened before we all met, but while we were friends? Don't we deserve to know these things?" he asked angrily.

"So you want to know everyone I've had sex with now?" She asked, the same amount of anger hidden in her tone.

"No. But you had sex with your best friend Cassie! That's a big deal!" he shouted.

"No its not! It meant absolutely nothing!" she retorted.

"To you. But apparently it meant something to him!" Petey glared.

"I don't care!"

"Stop." Chris inputted, just barely louder than a whisper. "Stop it."

"Oh come on Chris, tell me your not mad. I'm mad. You of all people should be mad." Petey stated.

Chris looked up, his eyes raging. "Of course I should be mad. But right now, creating more fights then there should be isn't something we should be doing. You two have to go anyways."

Cassie looked at him before the time. It was five minutes before right. She sighed before grabbing her bag and looking at the two. Both averted her glance. She sighed again before walking out, wanting to leave everything earlier in the room, never to face again.

* * *

**A/N: Whoa! what just happened there. its a pretty nice size chapter. never meant for it to be this long, but when i started writing, i couldn't stop.**

**but wow, did alex just say they actually had sex? what going to happen now. looks like theres not much left between the four.**

**and did some of the truth come out? did the reality of Alex's feelings come out?**

**check back soon and you'll see. on this note, i'll let you ponder on what in the world im gonna pull on you next.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

"Hi." Petey mumbled as he sat in the seat beside Cassie once entering the plane they would be occupying for the next few hours.

Cassie's glance remained out the window. Everything that had happened earlier was still fresh in her mind.

"Look, what happened back there was…well rough. But won't it be a bit awkward if we're sitting beside each other for the next few hours ignoring one another. And then what happens when we get home? We do live together." He sighed, trying to get her to talk.

She continued to ignore him.

"We all said some things. But unless we get past it, our friendship is just going to get ruined." Petey reasoned. "I know you're mad. Hell I'm mad. But like Chris said, its not going to help anything right now."

Petey noticed a small twitch in her head. He was slowly but surely getting through to her.

"I'm sorry for not telling you what happened back at the club. It's not something I really want you to know about. It's not meant to be a secret from you. It's just something I'm not proud of that I don't need anyone else judging me on. And about in the hotel room, I'm sorry for how I acted. I know how much you hate seeing us fight. And with just getting you back, I don't want to lose you again." He took a deep breath in before continuing. "But I am a bit hurt you never told us about you and Alex."

"It wasn't supposed to mean anything." She whispered, keeping her glace through the window.

"But it ended up meaning something for him." he replied.

"But it wasn't supposed to. It was a mistake."

"Do you really regret it though Cas? Look at me and tell me that you regretted that day."

Cassie's head never moved, not able to come face to face with the fact that she in fact, didn't completely regret that night.

* * *

"Looks the same." Cassie mused as they walked through the front door of their home in Windsor.

"Same as when you left." Petey nodded. "I'm going to make myself something to eat. Want anything?"

She shook her head as she peered into the living room, remembering the last time she was in there. Petey watched her before sighing and setting his bag by the stairs and heading into the kitchen. Cassie waited until he was in the other room to put her bag down as well and walk into the adjacent living room. And she walked in, the familiar environment set in. she had more than one good memories in this place. She walked around the coffee table and over to the fireplace mantel. There was a picture that had caught her eyes when they entered. And now as she was picking it up, sadness swept over her. It was a picture from two years ago, before everything went to hell. She, Petey, Alex, Chris, and Jimmy were at Wonderland in Toronto, one of their crazy ideas to drive three or so hours just for a few hours of fun. It was one of those pictures that were taken when you first walked in. Cassie had made Chris get it, so they'd all remember it. And she surely did.

"I remember when we got that taken. It was our brilliant idea to drive three hours in the afternoon to just go there for like two hours." Petey mused from over her shoulder.

Cassie looked behind her and nodded. "It was fun though. It was my first time there."

"Yeah. When you told me that, I couldn't believe it. Then the others had the bright idea of going there." He smiled before laughing. "Remember when you made Alex go on that bungee jumping thing there?"

Cassie chuckled. "Yeah. That was hilarious. It was so calm about it until we started going up there. Then he freaked out."

"When you two got off it he looked like he was going to puke, where as you wanted to go again." Petey laughed.

"And I picked some random guy. He was pretty hot too." She smiled.

"Good times."

She nodded. "Yeah."

Petey watched her for a moment. "Jimmy just text me. He wanted to know when we were going to meet up with him."

Cassie looked up from the photo with a smile.

"I'll take that look as soon." He chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Haven't seen that guy in way to long."

"I'll call him and tell him we'll be there in half an hour then."

"Alright." Cassie nodded; a feeling of excitement fell through her.

Petey nodded and turned towards the kitchen.

"I am sorry for not telling you guys about me and Alex." She said quietly.

He stopped, but kept his back to her.

"I just-it wasn't meant to happen. We were drunk after a night of clubbing after Training, and we kinda just did it. To me it was just a stupid drunken moment. It didn't seem like it was really that big of a deal." She continued.

"You still should have told us Cas." Petey sighed and turned around.

She looked down. "I know. But if you think of it, I have a history of being stupid."

"Well that I don't disagree with." He walked towards her.

"Hey!"

"Sorry." He chuckled. "But it did hurt that you didn't tell us."

"It hurts that you wont tell me about what happened in the club." She raised an eyebrow.

He sighed. "I just don't feel comfortable telling you. I mean it has to do with you, so it doesn't seem…"

"It has to do with me?" Cassie looked at him confused.

Petey raked a hand through his hair and nodded. "Yeah."

"Then shouldn't I have a right to know?" she pestered.

"Cas…" he closed his eyes. "I just can't."

A frown fell on her face. "Fine."

"Its not that I don't trust you. It's just that…" he put a hand on her shoulder, but she just moved out of his touch. "Come on Cas, don't be mad."

"I'm not mad." She muttered. "I'm going to go put my stuff in my room before we go."

Petey tried to stop her, to try to talk and reason with her, but she just ran past him and up the stairs.

* * *

"Damn Cas, I swear if you ever go away for that long again, I'm officially killing you." Jimmy grinned as he saw Cassie and Petey walking over to he and Lacey.

Cassie laughed while hugging the man tightly.

"You cut your hair. It looks cute." She flickered at his hair. "And I can't believe you never told me that you and Becky broke up."

He shrugged. "Just wasn't the right time for a relationship together." He looked over at lacey and then at Cassie, a bit worried now remembering their past history. "Ah, you remember Lacey."

"Yeah, how could I forget the cheating bitch." Cassie looked Lacey up and down with a scowl.

Lacey crossed her arms and glared at her.

"Cas." Petey whispered in her ear. "Be nice."

Cassie nudged him back but just began glaring at her without speaking.

"So…" Jimmy looked at Petey before back to Cassie. "I heard some interesting rumors."

"Whatever they are their lies." Cassie mumbled.

"So you're not coming back to BCW?"

"Okay so that's true." She smiled a touch.

"Thought so." Jimmy grinned. "I also heard your coming to Ring Of Honor."

Cassie nodded. "Have to get my American/Canadian wrestling fix in."

Petey rolled his eyes. "She just wants to be in as many promotions as she can so she can show everything she's better then them."

"Well yeah." Cassie punched Petey playfully. "But I also need an excuse to show off those new moves I've learned."

"You can just do them on Petey. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Jimmy smirked.

"Ha ha dude." Petey growled.

Jimmy laughed and held up his hands in defense. "Just playing around Pete."

"Why do people insist on calling me that?" he moaned.

Cassie chuckled. "Because you hate it so much."

"Whatever CeCe." Petey glared at her.

"Hey! Only Alex has the right to call me that!" she pushed him.

"Well then be nice to me." he pushed back.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, its great to have the gang all back together again."

"Oh you know you love it." Cassie smirked and pushed Jimmy as well.

Jimmy grabbed her around the waist and tickled her sensitive ribs.

"I can't say I don't." he grinned.

"Ugh, stop." Cassie squirmed away from him.

He just rolled his eyes but let her go. "You're a wuss."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that to loud. Cas here might want to kick your ass after that." Petey advised.

This earned a smack on the head by Cassie. "Shut it Petesy."

"Ugh stop with the names!" Petey groaned.

"Sorry P no can do." Cassie poked him, causing for Petey to grab at her.

Cassie squealed before racing behind Jimmy, using him as a shield.

"How is that I'm always the one used as a shield?" Jimmy asked as he watched in amusement as Petey worked up a plan to get Cassie.

"Because you're a good shield. And you love me so much that you wouldn't let Petey get me." she stated.

Jimmy smirked and looked at Petey. "Give me 50 bucks and I'll move for ya."

Petey smirked as well. "Your on."

"Sorry Cas. Cash can change my way of love." He told her before stepping aside.

"Stupid money." Cas took of in the opposite direction.

Petey sighed. "I'm too tired to chase you!"

"Good." She called back before bumping into someone.

"The least you could do is not bump into me Cas."

Cassie's eyes widened as she looked up at the smirking Phil Atlas.

"Phil!" she jumped at him, causing him the laugh.

"Good to see you again Cassie." He returned the hug.

"Wow, you've changed. More muscles." She stepped from the hug and poked at his arms.

"That's what happens when you work out." He rolled his eyes as he glanced back at Jimmy and Petey. "Those two causing havoc again."

"Don't they always." She put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at the two.

"You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you." Phil wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her back to the two. "So what did you two do to poor Cas here?"

"Hey, I didn't do anything." Petey defended.

"Yeah that's true, I mean it was Jimmy here who sold me out to 50 bucks."

"At least I didn't pay someone to go out with you." Jimmy stated.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "That's true. Because if you did, I would have to hurt you."

"I wouldn't doubt that." Jimmy grinned.

* * *

**A/N: sorry for not updating lately, i've been a bit lazy lol. so not much really happens in the chapter. just really a transitional one. hope you like anyways.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

"We're all totally screwed." Cassie sighed.

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "And how is that?"

"Well let's see. In two hours, BCW is going to start. Which means Petey, Chris, and Alex will all be present in the same building. Did you not listen when I explained to you what happened on Wednesday?" Cassie groaned.

"Sorry. Maybe it wont be as bad as you think it's going to be." Jimmy suggested.

"You know as well as I do that those three are probably the three most stubborn men in the world." She stated.

He nodded. "Alright, so that's true. But lets be optimistic here."

"Alright fine. Maybe they won't fight. But I'll most likely will have to endear angry, hurt, disappointed looks from at least two of the three tonight."

"At least you and Petey are pretty alright."

"Yay lets party." She replied sarcastically.

"Hey come on. Be happy. Its your return to BCW." Jimmy wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Remember what happened at the last show here before I left?"

Jimmy frowned. "Alright, so not a lot of happy memories. But there's a lot of good things about coming back."

"Such as?" Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, for one, Windsor is your home town."

"Oh yippee." She rolled her eyes.

"You know, most people would be happy."

"I'm not most people." She nudged. "But I should get into my ring attire."

Jimmy nodded and got up from the bench. "Alright, come find me later okay Cas?"

"Will do. Oh and if you see Scott, tell him I needa talk to him."

"Will do Cas. See ya."

Cassie watched as he left before looking down. She really didn't want to see Alex or Chris tonight. Yet she also knew she had to try to fix all of this. She hated when they fought, and she hated it more when she didn't have anyone to talk to. The three men she always knew she would have to talk to were pretty much gone. Sure she and Petey had gotten along all right for the past few days. But both couldn't deny the tension and the distance between one another. Both were hurt and angry at each other. It was no lie. They just chose to ignore it. Though, with ignoring it, it'll just eventually get worse for both Cassie and Petey. They had to wake up fast and face this problem before they were made too.

"Cassie?" Scott's voice drifted into the room.

"Hey Scott." She plastered on a fake smile. "Come in."

Scott eyed her carefully, noticing the faded look on her face. "You alright Cassie?"

"I'm fine." She assured him."

"Alright. Well what do you need?" he asked.

"Who am I fighting tonight?" she questioned.

"Haven't decided yet. We were originally going to have you go against Gail. But she left earlier sick."

"So whose the lucky woman now?" Cassie stood, looking through her bag for her attire.

"Lacey." Scott answered.

Cassie stopped. "What?"

"Lacey's the only other one around."

"What about Traci?" she asked with wide eyes.

"She's in a tag match with Jimmy and Phil." His tone sounded a lot like sympathy. "Sorry Cassie, but Lacey's the only one."

"Joy." She plopped down onto the bench. "What a great return."

Scott looked at her closely. "This isn't about lacey is it?"

Cassie sighed. "I'd be lying if I said it was."

"Petey told me what happened before you came down here. Want to talk about it?" Scott sat beside the younger woman.

"Why does everything have to get so messed up so quickly? I came back because I thought it'd be like old times. But it's worse then before I left." She told him honestly.

"You can fix it though. Those guys are stubborn, but you I'd like to believe, is the levelheaded one. Try to fix this." Scott suggested.

"Easier said then done. Did Petey tell you about Alex telling him and Chris that we had sex?"

Scott raised an eyebrow. "He must have forgotten to tell me about that one."

She sighed. "Well we did. Stupid really. Meant absolutely nothing to me. Or at least, I don't think it did. I hope it didn't. Anyways, now I think Chris is angry with me or something. He won't pick up his phone. It hurts because I've never had him mad at me before. Its always Alex, but never Chris."

"You like Chris a lot don't you?"

"I think so. Maybe. I don't know. I guess I'd like to think that. I mean he knows me so well. He knows me better than I know me. And I really had a good time on our date Monday. But…"

"There's a small part of you that's scared?" he offered.

"More like petrified. I've been doing some thinking, well a lot of thinking actually. And, I know this sounds crazy, but what if that night with Alex, what if it did mean something?" she asked, looking over at Scott.

Scott sighed. "Well then you have to be honest with both of them."

"I know. I just don't want to hurt anyone. I hate hurting people. I hate fighting with them. I just want to go back to years ago when all we were, were just friends." Cassie put her chin on her fist, which was resting on her knee.

"Chris never only saw you as a friend though. He's always liked you." Scott stated.

"I know. Why does life have to be so complicated?"

"Would you rather a simple one with no challenges?"

Cassie nodded. "That would be so much better."

Scott chuckled. "You say that now. But no matter what, you'd find a way to complain about it."

"That true I guess." She smiled slightly. "Thanks for listening Scott."

"You know I'm always here. You were always my favourite student. Don't tell Petey that. He thinks its him." he grinned.

I laughed. "But how am I going to go around bragging?"

"You'll find something else to brag about." Scott stood and ruffled her hair. "Now go get ready for your match kid. And good luck."

"Thanks. And thanks for letting me come back."

"No problem."

* * *

"Nervous about your first match back?" Traci asked later that night as she and Cassie sat on a spare crate.

"A bit. But it'll give me a chance to test drive all these new moves I learned." Cassie answered.

"Thank god you're not going against me then." Traci laughed.

"You know we'll fight eventually."

"Yeah, that's what I'm dreading."

Cassie rolled her eyes before her face went completely pale. Walking down the hall was Chris, who was in deep conversation with Eric.

"What wrong?" Traci looked at her confused before noticing Chris. "Why don't you talk with him?"

"Oh no." Cassie shook her head quickly, jumping off the crate and pulling Traci with her. "Come on, let's go somewhere else, I don't want him to see me."

"Too late Hun." Traci stopped Cassie.

"Hey Cassie!" Eric's cheerful voice came from behind them.

Cassie cursed before turning around and smiling at him, completely ignoring Chris.

"Hi Eric. What's up?"

"Oh nothing. You?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling.

"Nothing as well. But unfortunately Traci and I have to go do something. So bye." Cassie tried to drag Traci away again, but was once again stopped.

"Actually, I can go do that something by myself. Care to walk with me Eric?" Traci asked, giving Cassie a look.

Eric looked between Traci and Cassie before nodding.

"Alright then, see you later Cas. Bye Chris." Traci latched onto Eric and dragged him down the hall.

Cassie mentally cursed the woman while stealing a glance at Chris. Her heart felt as she caught the look Chris was giving her.

"Are you going to be mad at me forever?" she asked in a small voice.

"I'm not mad." He stated. "I'm just…"

"Yeah yeah, I know, your hurt." She rolled her eyes. "Join the club."

"I'd rather not. I don't feel up to getting hurt by anyone else I'm friends with." Chris glared down at her before walking passed.

"Oh come on Chris. I hate when everyone is fighting. And it's ten times worse as me and you have never fought before." Cassie tried to stop him.

"Well you brought this on yourself Cassie. You were the one who lied to me." he turned towards her.

"How did I lie to you?" she asked confused.

"You slept with Alex. People just don't sleep together. There's always a meaning behind it. You went out with me out of pity I bet. I can't believe I actually told you I loved you. I never should have. Then I wouldn't have gotten hurt." He shook his head.

"Chris, come on, I don't like Alex. At least I don't think I do."

"See, you don't know." He accused.

Cassie opened her mouth to defend herself, but found no words.

"Look, how about we forget I even told you I loved you. Lets forget the date." He turned around angrily.

"Chris please." She pleaded.

"Just go away Cassie."

Cassie felt tears spring to her eyes as Chris walked away. She felt as if her heart was breaking. This wasn't how she wanted everything to happen. All she wanted when she came back was for everything to go back to normal. She wanted her family back. But instead, she lost the man who was always there for her. Cassie felt her body fall to the floor as cries escaped her lips. She didn't care who saw her. Right now, she was too numb to even care anymore.

* * *

**A/N: poor Cassie, nothings going right for her. **

**will her and Chris ever make up?**

**will she ever figure out who she likes? Alex or Chris?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four:**

"Go talk to Cassie will you Alex." Jimmy sighed, looking at his long time friend in front of him.

"Why?" Alex raised an eyebrow, lookin down at him camera in lack of interest.

"Because she's your best friend. You guys need to work this out. Before someone gets hurt."

"People already got hurt Jimmy. I got hurt. Chris and Petey got hurt, she got hurt." Alex looked up.

"Then fix it. Before someone leaves again." Jimmy stared at him intently before just shaking his head and walking off.

Alex shrugged and walked in the opposite corner. He saw no reason in having to talk to anyone. Hell, if anyone should be upset, it should be him. But that thought soon disappeared as he turned a corner and saw a sight he never thought he'd see. Cassie sat in the middle of the hall, crying hard. As if their fight forgotten, Alex immediately flocked over, needing to know what was wrong.

"Cassie?" Alex slowly knelt down beside her. "What happened."

"He-he hates me." she cried, not even noticing that it was Alex who was talking to her.

"Who hates you?" Alex asked, but had a rough idea of who she was talking about.

"C-Chris." She cried harder now.

Alex's heart broke as he moved her into his arms. She cried into his chest, creating a wet spot on his black t-shirt. Alex mentally cursed Chris for being an ass over this. He had never seen Cassie this hurt before. And he had been through a lot with her. She always found a way through it. But Alex knew that she wouldn't be able to do the same this time. Her world was breaking down. Her heart was already probably in a million pieces.

"Tonight's going to be awesome. Me against Alex. Damn I love BCW." Petey's voice traveled down an adjacent hall and into the one Alex and Cassie were in.

Alex tensed as he saw Petey and Bobby turn the corner. Petey's eyes glared as he saw Alex there, but once Bobby pointed at Cassie, his face paled. All arguments aside, Petey rushed over.

"What happened?" Petey knelt down.

"Chris." Alex growled. "He was a bastard to her."

"What did he do?" Petey questioned.

Alex shook his head. "I don't know. I just found her a few minutes ago crying on the ground."

Petey nodded and looked at Cassie with sympathy. He, like Alex, had never though he'd witness the woman in this state.

"Cassie?" he laid a hand on her shoulder.

All he got back in response was a cry.

"There's people heading this way. We should probably move this into a room." Bobby suggested while looking on.

"He's right." Petey nodded.

Alex too nodded. "My locker room is just down here."

"Lets go."

Alex looked down at Cassie before slowly drawing up, bringing her with him. After glancing at her again, Alex led the way into his locker room. Once the door was shut, Alex led Cassie into a chair.

"Sweetie?" Alex wiped away her tears. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?"

"H-he…I screwed it up." she stuttered.

"Screwed what up?" Alex asked.

"Everything. I came back and now everyone hates everyone. It's all my fault. If I didn't come back, none of this would have happened." More tears fell.

"Its not your fault we're all angry. We just butted heads. We're best friends. That's prone to happen once in a while. It doesn't mean we hate each other." Alex assured her.

"Yes it does." She whispered.

"Cas, believe me, we don't hate each other. Sure Alex can be a bastard, but I don't hate the guy." Petey stepped forward.

Alex shot him a dirty look before nodding at Cassie. "Yeah and Petey can be a pain in the ass more than enough, but I mean come on, I couldn't hate the guy. If I did, who would I have to make fun of?"

"But Chris?"

"Chris is just being difficult."

"And he's hurt." Petey offered.

"Well yes he's hurt. But mostly he's just being difficult." Alex said.

"Actually, I think he's more hurt." Petey stated.

"I don't think so Petey."

"Yeah but I do."

"But I don't"

"I do."

"I don't"

"Stop it!" Cassie shouted. "Just stop it! See you two do hate each other. You two were never like this before. We were all friends. I never should have come back."

"Cas." Alex laid a hand on her shoulder.

Cassie brushed it off before shooting out of the room.

"Good going guys." Bobby sighed. "Just when you break through, you decide to fight. Just for once can't you two get along? At least for her? I can see why Cassie's like this. I don't blame her."

Alex and Petey looked down in guilt as Bobby left the room, most likely going to look for Cassie.

"Nice going Petey." Alex glared. "Ruin her."

"Me? Try you. Do you always have to be right?"

"Do you?" Alex argued.

"No I don't." Petey narrowed his eyes.

"Sounded that way to me. Right when I was getting her to talk."

"Oh, and then what were you going to do. Brainwash her into believing she loves you and not Chris." Petey asked with an eye roll.

"No." Alex looked at him with a glare, though a touch of hurt was apparent. "Does it shock you that maybe I just wanted to be a good best friend again? That maybe I just wanted to get her to talk because I know she never does? That maybe I was just trying to help her and make her pain go away like I always did when we were younger?"

Petey was speechless. He knew Alex wasn't lying. Although he wished he were, Alex wasn't lying.

"I'm not as much of a bastard as you seem to believe Petey." Alex looked away before at the door. "But Bobby is right, we have to just screw whatever anger we have towards each other for her. We know if we blow this, she'll leave."

"And we don't want that." Petey sighed and raked a hand through his dark hair. "Alright, I'm willing to have a truce if you are."

"Fine." Alex nodded. "Do you think we should go find her?"

"Maybe we should just let Bobby handle her for now. We need to talk to Chris. Figure out what's up with him."

Alex nodded. "Good idea."

* * *

"Please don't do this Cas." Petey banged on Cassie's door later that night.

"Anything?" Alex walked up behind him.

"No." Petey sighed. "She locked it."

"Could I have a few minutes alone with her?"

Petey eyed him for a moment before nodding. "I should probably try to call Traci anyways."

Alex waited until Petey had gone downstairs to knock on Cassie's door.

"Cas? It's Alex. Can you let me in. I just want to talk." Alex called through the door.

Nothing.

"Your not packing is you? You can't keep running away like this. Nothing will ever get solved. You'll just get more hurt." Alex told her.

"Please Cas. Look, I know we had a fight. But Petey and I decided to have a truce, at least for now."

"You two will never stop." Cassie stated.

"We will. I swear to you we will. We'll work this out. But please don't go." Alex begged.

"I have to." She answered.

"No you don't. There are people here who care about you."

"Like Chris? Yeah right." She laughed cruelly.

"He might not show it right now, but you know he loves you. He'll always love you. He's just hurt about all of this. We all got hurt. He just chose to be a bastard about it. It doesn't change how he feels though." He tried to plead with her.

Alex waited for a response, and was shocked when the door opened. Alex looked into the room as Cassie went back into her closet. He sighed as he saw the suitcases being packed in with clothes. She was planning on running again.

"Cas, don't go." Alex said, closing the door behind him.

"Why shouldn't I Alex? Nothing is going to go right with me here. If I go, maybe I can have a fight free life. I can't take fighting, you know that Alex. Ever since my parents I couldn't handle it. I just can't do this anymore." She walked back into her room with a bundle of clothes.

As Cassie placed the clothes on her bed and went for another batch, Alex grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Let me go Alex." She struggled out of him grasp.

"Cassie doesn't go. You can't run from this. I know your hurt, but you can't go. We need you here. I need you. Do you know how hard it was here without you? It felt so wrong to go on living when you weren't there. I hated it. I was depressed the whole time you were gone. I need you here Cassie." Alex pleaded, his eyes displaying the truth.

"Alex, I don't want to be here anymore." She said quietly.

"Please don't go."

"I have to. For my sake just let me go." She begged.

"I can't let you go."

"Please Alex. I can't do this. It hurts too much. Just thinking about what happened in the past week, it hurts too much to bare." Cassie looked away, tears streaming down her face.

"Then let me and Petey help. We're friends, this is why we're here." He wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"Every time you try to help, everyone gets into fights." She stated.

"I know. But we're trying."

Cassie sighed. "I have to go Alex."

"What about Jimmy? It'll kill him to see you go. Same with Traci. And Eric, that guys adores you. He really missed you. And what about all the guys from TNA, you've got yourself a following there. AJ, Austin, Roderick. You became friends with those guys instantly, that means something." Alex tried to talk her out of it.

She looked up at Alex. "I have to get away. It hurts to much to be in this house, around everyone."

Alex sighed, knowing she wouldn't give up on the matter. It was then that an idea struck.

"Just promise me to not pack anymore or go anywhere until I come back." He asked her.

Cassie gave him a confused look.

"I have to go make a call. Just watch TV or something. Please?"

She nodded slowly. Alex quickly fled from the room and downstairs.

"Dude where's the phone?" Alex asked, seeing no phone in its holder in the kitchen.

"In the living room. And why?" Petey asked.

"I'll tell you later." Alex took off for the living room.

After a few minutes of tearing the room apart, he soon found it on the couch. He quickly pushed the all too familiar numbers and waited for him to pick up.

"Jimmy here."

"Jimmy, what are you doing the rest of the week and next week?" Alex asked.

"Um, no clue. Why what's up?" Jimmy asked, completely confused.

Alex explained the situation and then his new plan.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to take her to Japan until the next Impact tapings? I don't get it."

Alex sighed. "She needs to leave. So we'll let her. We'll give her a vacation. But we'll have someone with her. It can't be Petey, or me as we're part of the problem. That's why you're the only one who can take her. We need you to make sure she comes back."

"How do you know she'll agree to this?" jimmy asked.

"Because I've already started to get through to her not to go. Just do this man, for her."

"I'm in don't worry. Tell me when and where and I'll be there."

"All right, I'll call you later with the details. Thanks." Alex sighed in relief.

"No problem, anything for that girl." Jimmy stated before hanging up.

Alex mentally cheered before heading back upstairs to Cassie's room. Just like always, Cassie didn't listen and was continuing her packing.

"You needa work on the listening skills Cas." Alex raised an eyebrow, looking in her closet and seeing it almost empty.

"I was never good at it." She shrugged.

"Alright, well your gonna have to put some of those back." Alex stopped her from folding her clothes.

Cassie shoved him away. "I told you I'm going Alex.

"Alright, but hear me out at least?"

"Fine." She sighed and stopped.

"Alright, so I'll let you go to Japan freely, if Jimmy goes with you. And if you only go until the next Impact tapings."

"You don't get it Alex, I'm going for good."

"No Cas. You can't you signed a contract. A year contract. You can't technically leave. And what about you're other friends. They need you here. You need to get away, I understand that. So go for a vacation in Japan with Jimmy. He already agreed with it. Go for a week and then come back. I swear to you that by the time you come back, everything will be alright." Alex told her.

"How can you be so sure?" Cassie asked.

"Just trust me Cas." He put a hand on her cheek. "Please just agree to this."

She thought for a moment before nodding. "But I swear, if you guys don't stop fighting, I'm going to kill you both.

Alex smiled. "I don't doubt that you will."

* * *

**A/N: So it seems some of their group is growing back together. Petey and Alex decided on a truce, for Cassie's sake, and Alex managed on talking Cassie out of completely leaving.**

**But what going to happen when she gets back?**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five:**

"Excited to be heading back to Orlando?" Jimmy asked.

Cassie shot him a glare. "Oh yeah totally."

"You know everything will work out. They always do." Jimmy reasoned with her.

She looked out the window of the plane and sighed.

"Yeah I know. But the last time I thought that, this all happened." Cassie said.

"True. But you know Alex and Petey will do whatever they can to fix this. They don't want you to leave again like you did. I don't want you to leave again." Jimmy laid a hand on her shoulder.

Cassie turned and looked at Jimmy. "Sorry if I hurt you guys for going last time. I never meant to. I just-needed time away. I guess I just got caught up in everything and forgot to come home."

Jimmy nodded. "No big deal, as long as your back now."

"Yeah. So are you going to stay in Orlando for a few days?" she asked after a minute.

"Depends, do you want me to?"

"Hell ya!" she grinned.

"Then I guess I have to then."

* * *

"Calm down Alex." Petey rolled his eyes. "It might make people think you like her."

Alex stopped pacing and glared at Petey. "I thought we decided to forget all of that."

Petey smirked. "Oh sorry, I forgot."

"Should I remind you that you like her too then?"

Petey frowned. "Alright alright, we wont bring it up anymore."

Alex laughed.

"You two are talking with each other and not killing one another, interesting." AJ came up from behind them.

Alex shrugged.

"We blame Cas." Petey told him. "Speaking of which, isn't that Jimmy over there?"

Alex twisted around, practically giving himself whiplash.

"CASSIE!" he rounded on her and toppled her over with a hug.

"Get off me Alex." She grumbled.

Alex smirked. "But I don't wanna."

"Get off before I castrate you." She threatened.

His eyes widened and jumped off her.

"Finally." She rolled her eyes and slowly drew herself up from the ground, dusting herself off.

Alex glared at her. "You shouldn't joke like that."

"Why? It works well." She smirked before spotting Petey and AJ. "What, could you only get two people to come with you? Wow I feel loved."

"Oh don't worry." Alex nodded at Jimmy before wrapping an arm around Cassie and leading her over to the two. "There's more people at the Arena."

"Ugh. That's tonight isn't it? Damn I hate the distance." Cassie yawned before groaning.

"It's your own fault. You're the one who likes Japan so much." He poked at her.

"I blame you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gone there in the first place." She smirked at him before slipping past his poking.

"Oh sure, bring up the past why don't ya!" he shouted after her as she walked ahead of him.

Jimmy rolled his eyes before patting him on the back and following Cassie. Alex meanwhile, shrugged with a smile and followed as well.

"Hey Cas." Petey hugged Cassie tightly. "You came back I see."

"It was kind of hard not to with Jimmy always on my trail." She frowned and stuck out her tongue at Jimmy.

Jimmy held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I was just doing what I was ordered to do."

Cassie laughed before grinning at AJ. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Have a good vacation?"

"How could I not in Japan. Gotta love that place eh?"

AJ rolled his eyes. "Yeah your definitely Canadian. You're the only other one except for Team Canada that say 'eh' around here."

Cassie grinned. "You know you love us."

"Well you maybe, not Petey."

"Yeah, but I can't blame you. How could anyone love this guy." She smirked over at Petey.

"Hey!" Petey glared. "I take that as an insult."

"Oh good, you understood that? Usually you don't."

"Your not a very nice person Cas." He frowned and tickled her.

Cassie jumped back and dodged behind AJ, who was rolling his eyes.

"I blame you for that. You've corrupted me way too much Mr. Canadian Destroyer."

"That's true." Petey laughed.

"Are we going to continue acting like kids, or are we going to actually go?" Alex rolled his eyes and walked over.

"Petey started it." Cassie defended before moving from behind AJ.

"Right Cas." Petey rolled his eyes.

"Its true." She stuck out her tongue at him.

* * *

"Hey if it isn't our favourite drunk." Austin grinned as Alex and Cassie walked into their joint locker room later that night.

Cassie groaned. "Don't remind me about that. I think I'm still feeling that hang over."

Austin chuckled. "Maybe that will teach you not to get into drinking contests."

"I won though." She defended.

"Barely." Roderick rolled his eyes.

"You guys aren't cool." She folded her arms with a pout.

"Chris is right, that doesn't work on anyone." Austin laughed.

"It works on Alex." She grinned and looked behind her. "Eh Alex?"

"Shut up." He pushed her before heading over to his locker.

Cassie rolled her eyes before walking over to her own.

"So what have you two been up to late?" she asked as she grabbed out her attire for the night.

"Nothing, went home. Boring really." Austin shrugged.

"What about you Roderick?"

"Hung out with jade." He stated.

"That's his girlfriend." Alex rolled his eyes. "Whenever you don't see those two together is a miracle."

Cassie laughed and watched as Roderick glared at Alex.

"I'm gonna go change. Don't kill each other while I'm gone. I wanna witness Alex's death." She smirked as she walked over to the bathroom in the room.

"Hey!" Alex shouted from behind her.

Cassie chuckled before entering the room and locking the door behind her.

"You gotta love that girl huh?" Alex rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I really do, she likes to put you down. My kinda girl." Austin grinned while Roderick laughed.

"Don't joke like that dude." Alex glared at him.

"You know I'm only joking. Though with you around, anyone would be able to snap her up. You never were the brightest tool in the shed."

"Austin." Alex gave him a warning look.

Austin raised an eyebrow and threw his hands up in defense. "Only joking dude."

"Whatever." Alex shrugged. "I have to go talk to Chris. Tell Cas to go to the ring when she's out alright?"

"Will do." Roderick nodded.

Alex thanked him before leaving the room and began down the hall. While he walked, he thought about what he was going to say to Chris. Although he had promised to talk to Chris while Cassie was away, Alex never got up the courage. It wasn't like he was scared; he just never really knew what to say to the guy. Because of their fight, it had become a bit awkward for everyone. Even for him and Petey who decided on their truce for the time being. It didn't help that all three of them had feelings towards Cassie, if they wanted to admit them or not. Alex truthfully didn't want to do this for Cassie, helping her get Chris back. But he loved her, he admitted that now. And he wanted Cassie to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. But of course, that also didn't mean he wasn't going to try to win Cassie over. He just needed to think up a plan to do so. And at the moment, he couldn't even consider it.

"Watch where you're going."

Alex ran a hand through his hair as he saw Chris in front of him. It was now or never.

"Could we talk dude?" Alex asked.

"No." Chris brushed past him.

"Why do you keep doing this if you love her?" Alex stopped him.

Chris stopped.

"You know you do. Everyone knows you do. You broke her heart that Friday you know. I've never seen Cassie cry that hard before. You did that by being a jerk. She didn't do anything wrong. If anything, punish me and Petey, but not her. She cares for you man. And you care for her. Don't punish her for that."

Alex sighed as Chris kept his back to him.

"Come on Chris, stop being so stubborn." Alex pleaded with him.

"Do you love her?" Chris asked.

Alex sighed. "I don't know."

"She said the same thing about you. What's the use of trying this if you both have feelings for each other?" Chris turned.

"She said what…I mean, I can clearly say she likes you Chris. You should have seen her. She threatened of leaving again too. Thankfully I was able to talk her out of it." Alex insisted.

"That doesn't change that she likes you too."

"Come on Chris. I'm doing this for you. Do you think I would really be here, begging you to go back to her if I was trying to take her from you?" Alex stated.

Chris paused for moment thinking. "I don't know."

"I wouldn't, if I wanted her, I wouldn't be here. Sure I might like her. But I'd rather see her happy then being miserable. She's happy with you. I mean I don't know what she sees in you, but she really likes you. You make her happy. That's all that matters."

Chris sighed and nodded.

"So you'll talk to her?" Alex asked, feeling a bit hurt that it worked so well.

"Yeah I guess." He mumbled.

"Great! She's probably in the ring right now."

Chris nodded before turning back around and heading towards the ring. Meanwhile, Alex frowned. It was easily apparent of the sadness in his eyes as he felt the person he loved slip faster away.

* * *

**A/N: yay, so Chris and Cassie might just have a future together. but yet again, Alex clearly wants to steal her away. will Cassie allow herself to be stolen from Chris, or will she fight the growing feelings she has for Alex?**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six:**

Cassie walked slowly down the heel ramp, making her way to the ring, which she spotted Christopher Daniels occupying by himself. She wasn't sure why Alex wanted her to go down to the ring, as they didn't really need to work on anything. But she shrugged it off and sat in an empty chair, watching as Daniels stretched in the ring. A few moments later, as Daniels stood up, he caught sight of her.

"Hey Cassie." He walked over to the side of the ring she was on and leant against the ropes. "How's it going."

"Alright I suppose. You?" she answered with a shrug.

"Pretty good. I see you came back. Heard there was a scare that you'd leave for Japan again." He commented.

"Yeah well, I was bribed into going there for a week but I had to come back. And I have to say, its amazingly hard to lose Jimmy." She scrunched up her nose.

Daniels laughed. "So you wanna join me up here? I haven't seen you wrestle lately."

"No, that's alright. I like being a spectator better." She shook her head.

"Oh come on." Daniels smirked.

Once again she shook her head.

"I'll teach you a new move if you come up here." He insisted.

"I don't need any new moves." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on Cassie." He pleaded.

She eventually sighed and nodded.

"Great." Daniels grinned.

"This really isn't cool." She complained as she slid into the ring.

"It'll be fun. And anyways, I need someone to help me get ready for tonight."

"Joy, I getta be the punching bag." Cassie sighed and folded her arms.

"Call it what you want." Daniels shrugged and wrapped an arm around her.

"Ahem."

Daniels and Cassie turned around to face an awkward standing Chris. Cassie's face paled, her heart beating ten times faster. Daniels looked between the two, sensing a moment of privacy.

"On second thought, maybe I'll just go find AJ and talk strategy." Daniels patted Cassie on the back before slipping out of the ring, just as Chris slid in.

"Hi." He stuffed his hands into his jean pants pockets, his eyes downcast.

"Hi." Cassie watched him intently.

An eerie silence fell over them. If someone walked into the impact zone at this exact moment, they would just be able to feel the tension between the two adults.

"Err…how are you?" Chris mumbled in question.

Cassie simply shrugged.

Chris sighed. "Look I'm sorry for acting like a jerk at the BCW show."

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm trying to apologize here. The least you could do is at least try to be civilized." Chris glared down at her.

"Fine whatever." She sighed.

Chris eyes her, but found it hard to continue. It was as if all the words he had come up with to say on the way here, slipped from his grasp. He was now left with nothing.

"Well…?" Cassie urged him on.

"Oh forget this." Chris sighed and turned to leave.

"If your not going to say anything then I might as well. I'm sorry for not telling you about Alex and me. If I were in your shoes, I'd be angry and hurt too. If I could go back, I'd tell you guys in a heartbeat if I knew this would have happened. This has probably been the worst few weeks of my life not having you around." Cassie stopped him.

Chris stopped in his tracks, slightly shocked by her words. Cassie inhaled sharply before slowly stepping towards Chris. When she was close enough, she laid a hand on his arm, turning him back around. Chris sighed and did so, allowing for their eyes to make contact.

"It hurts that you never told me. I thought we were best friends?"

"I know. It was just a mist…"

"Don't." Chris shook his head. "Don't say it was a mistake when you're not sure of your feelings for him.

Cassie frowned. "Chris come off it. I like you."

"Yeah, but you like him too."

"I don't know if I do." She insisted. "But what I do know is that I really like you. I know I said I only wanted a simple date with you. But after we went out, it felt so right. It felt like you would always be there, that you were the right one for me. Its been so hard the past week knowing you hated me. I didn't even enjoy myself in Japan. All I could think about the whole time was how to get you back."

Chris looked away.

"I really think I might love you." She told him softly.

His head snapped to her, now completely shocked. Never in a million years did he ever expect to hear those words come from her mouth and towards him. He never thought it was possible. Throughout all the years hoping and wishing that there might be the slightest hope of a relationship, he never actually thought it would happen. But here they were. They just had their first ever fight, and it ended with seven simple words.

"Chris?" she looked at him worried.

He shook all previous thoughts of hate towards Cassie away and bent his head down to kiss her. Cassie was taken back at the action at first, but fell into the kiss nonetheless.

"Wow." She breathed once they parted.

Chris smirked. "Still like that then."

"Missed it really." She smiled slightly

"I am sorry for being a jerk before. I guess my anger and hurt took the better of me." Chris apologized.

"I don't really blame you. You had a reason to be angry with me."

"Well that I agree with."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Well you did make me cry you know."

"And that I'm sorry about." Chris wrapped his arms around her waist. "But I bet you looked just as cute when crying."

"I'm always cute." A grin slowly fell on her face.

"I can't argue with that." Chris too grinned.

Cassie chuckled and hugged Chris tightly.

"So are we okay now?" Cassie asked.

Chris smiled down at her. "Yeah. Just promise me no more secrets all right. Even if I'm going to hate it, tell me."

"I promise." She stated.

"Good."

"Alright, so you kinda look like you just rolled out of bed." Cassie reached up and ran a hand through his hair.

Chris stepped back. "Hey, no touching the hair."

"Your worse than me." Cassie laughed.

"That's hard to beat though." He smirked.

"Very true." She nodded with a smile.

Chris smiled at seeing that innocent smile back. He had truly missed that the past week.

"So you wanna go get something to eat before the tapings start?" Chris asked.

"Sure." She agreed.

While the two left the ring, hand in hand, Alex stood up on the opposite ramp, leaning against the tunnel. A sad frown had fallen on his face as he saw his best friends leave together, all happy and whatnot. It killed him that Cassie was that happy with Chris and not with him. He never really realized how much he cared for her until now. Jealousy opened the eyes to everything it seemed.

* * *

"Come on Traci!" Petey trailed behind Traci. "I'm sorry. Please just hear me out."

"Go away Petey." Traci shot at him, not even bothering to look behind her at him.

"Please Traci." He begged.

Traci turned, anger apparent. "Listen Petey, you have feelings for my best friend. Your own best friend. I'm not going to compete with that. So until you know for sure you don't like her anymore, we're through. I still want to be friends, but nothing more."

"Please?"

"No Petey. Your not going to get yourself out of this with cute looks." She told him in disgust. "I have to go. Don't follow me."

Petey stood there numb as Traci turned back around and walked off. His heart broke, as he knew he hurt her by all of this. He couldn't help but to feel anger towards Alex again for ruining everything for everyone. If he had just kept his mouth shut, everyone would be happy. There would never have been any of these fights, break ups, scares. They would have been fine. But no, Alex just had to ruin it all.

"Hey dude." Alex said from behind with that traditional smirk.

Petey bit his lip, trying not to snap at the man who all of his anger was directed towards.

"Hey." Petey replied with a nod.

"Everything cool?" he asked.

"Yeah." Petey shrugged. "Did you fix things with Chris and Cassie?"

"Yeah." Alex sighed. "They're back together. All happy happy."

"Good. Lets hope they stay that way." Petey gave Alex a look.

Alex threw his hands up in defense. "Hey, why are you giving me that look?"

"Because you were the one who messed this up in the first place."

"I thought we decided to put this behind us Petey." Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We did." Petey stated gruffly.

"Then get over it." Alex rolled his eyes. "And anyways, you seem pretty contempt in keeping those two together, when you like her yourself. Seems a bit fishy. Your not planning your little scheme again."

"I'm warning you Alex. Bring this up again and I'm going to bash your face in." Petey said through clenched teeth.

"Just stating a fact dude." Alex shrugged. "But whatever. I have to get going. See you around I guess."

"Hopefully not." Petey murmured as he watched Alex brush past him.

* * *

**A/N: yay, Chris and Cassie are back together :D but unfortunately, theres still the tension between Alex and Petey. how will this affect all of their futures?**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

"Alex?" Cassie knocked on Alex's hotel room door later that night. "Hello?"

"Don't tell me he's mad at you again." AJ said from behind.

Cassie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"The last time you were banging on his door you woke me up, like today, and he was mad at you." He explained.

"Oh. Right. Sorry about waking you." She gave him an apologetic smile.

"No prob." AJ ran a hand through his messed up bed hair. "But what are you doing here in 3 in the morning?"

"Well I couldn't sleep so I went on my laptop and found Alex on myspace. Still don't completely get why everyone is on that." She rolled her eyes before continuing. "Anyways, I emailed him to see why he was still up, and he never responded, which is unusual. You haven't seen or heard from him have you?"

AJ shook his head. "No sorry."

She sighed.

"Did you try his cell?" he suggested.

"Yeah. It was turned off." She frowned. "Which is odd."

"You want me to break the door down?"

"No. I'll pick the lock if I have to." Cassie shrugged.

"Good, I'm too tired to…wait, you can pick a lock?" AJ gave her a weird look.

"Well yeah. Lets just say I lived in the wrong part of Windsor growing up. Learned a few things I probably shouldn't have. You wouldn't by chance have a bobby pin would you?" she asked.

"Oh yes, I just happen to have something I have no use for." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm really starting to hate sarcasm." She sighed.

"Sorry." He chuckled. "Is he rooming with anyone?"

"No. He got his own room this time. Hey do u know if Traci is on this floor?"

"Room beside mine." He pointed at the door.

Cassie grinned. "What a lifesaver."

AJ laughed. "So can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yeah, go back to your beauty sleep, god knows you need it." She teased.

"Not nice." He glared at her.

She smiled sweetly before waving at him as he closed his door shut once more. She turned towards the door beside his room and began for it, but before she could, the sound of the door opening from behind stopped her immediately.

"What do you want?" Alex groaned.

Cassie raised an eyebrow and turned. When she did, her jay almost dropped. The man standing, or more like leaning against the door, was completely pale. Not just somewhat pale, but instead paper white pale. His eyes were bloodshot. Yet not like he was drugged up. More like he was tired.

"Are you okay?" she immediately reached up and touched his forehead. "Damn, your burning up."

"I'm fine." He grumbled. "Can you leave? I'm trying to sleep."

"Sleep or throw up?" she pushed him back into the room, closing the door behind her. "What's wrong? You were fine earlier."

"I'm fine Cas." He growled softly and fell onto the bed.

"Your not fine. Your burning up, and you look really bad." She sat beside his lying form and laid a hand on his forehead. At feeling the heat arising from his head, she began to worry. "We should get some medicine into you. What's bugging you?"

"You." His eyes fluttered closed.

"Alex." She prodded him gently.

"Everything." He eventually let out.

"Everything? As in stomach, head, regular cold symptoms, and like your dying?" she asked.

"You know me too well." He sighed, a small smile falling on his face.

"Yep. Come on sit up, don't want you to choke on your vomit." She helped him to sit up.

"Cas, you really can go. I'll be fine." His eyes opened and he told her.

"No. I'm not leaving you like this. You never knew how to take care of yourself. I was always the one who did it. Some come on, let me go call the front desk, see if someone can run out and get you something." She insisted.

Alex, too tired and sick to fight, slowly nodded and watched her with tired eyes as she stood and began talking on her phone. He couldn't help but feel happy that he was sick right now.

"Alright, someone's gone to get you something. Let me go get a damp cloth for you."

"Cas…" he wanted to say something but she darted into the bathroom.

He sighed deeply as she came back in a laid the cloth on his forehead.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Like I'm all wet now." He made a face.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Your worse than a kid."

"I know." He smirked before closing his eyes.

"Did you throw up at all?" she asked.

"Just about a billion times." He answered, eyes still closed.

"If you were sick then why were you on myspace and never told me. I emailed you, you know."

"Sorry. I was probably vomiting when you sent it." Alex apologized.

Cassie nodded before looking down at him in concern.

"When did you start feeling like this?" she asked.

"About an hour after we got back from the arena." He answered. "Just came on. Not really sure why."

"Could be stress, or something you ate." She suggested.

"Maybe." He nodded before biting his lip.

"What?" she asked, noticing the look on his face.

"Not feeling so hot." He answered.

Cassie, as if reading between the lines, immediately jumped up and helped Alex stand on his feet.

"Go." She urged him towards the bathroom. "Thank god I know you well enough to know when you're going to throw up. I would've been puked on a half of a dozen times if I didn't"

"Ha ha." He mumbled, lifting the toilet seat.

Cassie turned while he did his disgusting duty. It was a way of life, yet it disgusted her and made her shudder at just the sound of it happening. Once the sound had ceased, and water began running, she joined Alex in the bathroom. As she saw him resting a head in his arms, which were on the counter, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"You all right?" she rubbed his back soothingly.

"No." he answered.

"Come on, let's get you to the bed." She tried to urge him back into the room.

Alex shook his head and remained in the spot.

"I'm a failure aren't I?" he asked in a small voice, which sounded nothing like him.

"What?" she asked confused.

"I'm a failure." He stood straight and leant against the counter.

"Your not a failure." She insisted.

"Really? Then how come I mess everything up? He asked.

"You don't mess everything up."

"I messed you and Chris up. I messed up our group. I messed up Petey and Traci's relationship. I messed up my relationship with everyone. I messed up with you. I messed up with my mom."

Cassie was slightly taken back at hearing Alex talk about his mom. He never did. Not since he lose her back when they were sixteen. She still remembered the day like it was yesterday. She was walking home from school and caught site of Alex sitting alone on the front porch to her house. As she approached, she had noticed the look of despair on his face. His words cut through her as he told her his mother died earlier that day after being hospitalized due to her boyfriend at the time. It was the only time Cassie had seen Alex cried. She remembered holding him as he just cried for what seemed like hours. He and his mother was close, and with knowing how her boyfriend treated her and Alex, Cassie couldn't help but feel rage that such a good person was gone. She was like a mother to Cassie, since she herself never had one. Ever since then, Alex had avoided the topic of his mother, not wanting to remember the horrible memories that went along with it.

"You didn't mess up with your mom Alex." She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes I did." He nodded. "I should have helped her. I should have been able to stop him from hurting her. I should have been able to save her!"

"It was out of your control. Your mother wanted you to be safe. She wouldn't want it for you to be you dead and not her." Cassie tried to tell him.

"No. She's probably ashamed that her son never did anything. I could have told someone. I could have gone to the police. I should have gone to the police. But I was stupid and didn't. God, if I did, maybe I would still have her." Alex's face hardened.

"Alex, its not your fault."

"Yes it is Cassie. You don't get it." He brushed past her and into the bedroom.

"Then make me get it." She followed and sat beside his now lying form on the bed.

"I can't. I don't want to remember it again." He stated, closing his eyes, but stayed completely awake and alert.

Cassie sighed and ran a hand through her shoulder length hair. "I miss her too Alex."

"I wish she was here." He whispered.

"I know."

"If she was here, she'd know exactly what to say, or what to do. I probably wouldn't have done all these things if she were here. God dammit, it should have been that bastard who died. Not my mom." He growled angrily, yet his eyes remained closed.

"I know. But we can't worry about him anymore. He got charged remember." She told him. "And your mother is here."

"Don't be stupid Cas."

Cassie sighed and put a hand over the spot of Alex's heart. "She's right here Alex. She will always be right here. She'll always be in your heart. You're her son. You'll always have a part of her in you. And she'll always be watching down on you. She never left. You just lost her along the way."

Alex stayed silent.

"That's the door. I'm gonna go answer It." She told him before getting of the bed.

She waited for a response, but received none. She inhaled softly before going to answer the door. She thanked the girl with the medicine, tipping her greatly for her trouble, and closed the door back again. As she read the label on the package, she heard Alex shift his body. He was now turned onto his side, though facing her. A small smile fell on her face at how innocent the man looked when he was like this. It looked nothing like he did when he was acting like an ass or a jerk, which was most of the time. He looked like he used to before his mother died. It was nice for a change.

"Maybe I'll just leave this here." She said softly. "I'll leave you to sleep."

"Wait." Alex's voice reached her as she was about to turn towards the door. "Can you stay? Please?"

Cassie thought about it for a minute, looking into Alex's eyes, seeing the need for her to stay. Normally she would have said no. But with what they were previously talking about, she knew he needed comfort. And as his best friends for many years, she knew she wanted to give it to him. It was her job, one that she never hated. She slowly nodded and walked over to him. He inched back on the bed, giving her room. She bit her lip before slipping into the bed beside him.

"Thanks." He murmured into her ear, the tone of sleep apparent.

"Its what friends are for." Cassie smiled at him as his eyes drooped down. "Night Alex. Hope you feel better in the morning. Love you."

Cassie then turned slightly, so her back was against Alex's chest. She lightly closed her eyes, not feeling completely tired; yet still needing the rest. Finally, her eyes fell, leaving a soft heaving of breathing. Alex, having a bit of sense still in him, lifted an arm and wrapped it around the now shivering Cassie. As his warmth was comforting her, he spoke the words he was glad she was asleep for.

"I love you too."

* * *

**A/N: so i decided to write a sweet chapter between Alex and Cassie. i suppose to show their friendship, and a bit of Alex's past which is still haunting him today.**

**but how much meaning was there in those last four words?**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:**

Cassie's eyes flickered open after feeling movement in the bed. She groaned slightly as she wiped the sleep away from her eyes and peered around the room. She had almost forgotten she had stayed with Alex last. At the thought of Alex, she immediately turned to look at him. It almost made her laugh at how adorable he looked. The goofy smile on his face, his face scrunched up in concentration. It was too cute. But at that thought, she flushed and turned back around. She really shouldn't have been thinking those thoughts, she loved Chris. But, if she did, then why did her heart ache slightly for Alex?

"I don't wanna kiss the frog Cas." Alex murmured behind her.

She stifled a laugh, trying not to wake him.

"Go away Cas. I don't wanna kiss the frog. Leave me alone." He said again, this time lower.

She couldn't control herself this time. At the sound of a laugh, Alex was jostled awake. His eyes flew open and traveled around the room before landing on Cassie, who had her back, him. She had no clue he was awake, just starring at her with a smile adorned on his face. Eventually though, Cassie turned and was surprised to see him awake.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hey." He returned.

"How are you feeling?" Cassie asked, moving her hand up to touch his forehead.

"Not all that much better." He felt his stomach knot.

"You feel hotter." She sat up, a worried expression on her face. "Maybe we should take you to a doctor."

Alex shook his head and looked up at her. "You know I hate doctors."

"Yeah but your sick, and getting worse. Sometimes you have to suck it up." she insisted.

"Why can't you play nurse?" he pouted.

"I could. But then your annoyingness would eventually get to me and I'd probably kill ya." She chuckled.

Alex's face scrunched up. "Thanks Cas, I feel loved."

"You should." She patted his head before getting up off the bed and walking over to where she had left the medicine for him last night. "Here, let me get you some of this and then we'll see how you'll do."

Alex nodded and sat up. He watched as she read the label before pouring a dosage of liquid medicine into a small cup.

"Ugh. I hate the liquid stuff. What am I, a kid?" he complained at seeing the liquid.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Yep. Pretty much."

Alex pouted once more as she walked towards him, baring the small cup.

"I'm not taking it." He stated, crossing his arms.

"Oh come on Alex." She sighed.

He shook his head. Cassie narrowed her eyes and put a hand on her hip.

"Alex Anthony Shelley, take the bloody medicine will you?" she glared at him.

Slightly taken back by the usage of his middle name, he obliged and took the medicine. While he did so, he shut his eyes tightly, plugged his nose and quickly took it. Immediately after he did, a look of distaste fell on his face.

"Blah, that tastes awful." He complained.

"Good." She chuckled and sat back down on the bed and took out her cell phone. Noticing five messages in her inbox, she mentally hit herself. "Crap, I forgot to tell Chris where I was going."

"What?" Alex asked, shaking thoughts from his head.

"When I left last night to come see you, I never told Chris where I was going. I guess he got worried. Five messages." She explained before lifting the phone to her ear to listen to the messages.

A darkened look fell over Alex at the mention of Chris. He wished he wasn't like this, but he couldn't help but feel jealous and hate towards Chris at the moment. He got everything. He really did. He got those damn Championship belts, he got the thousands of fans, he got the relationships, he got the friends, and now he got the girl. He felt left out, like he could never win in a battle against Chris. And Alex oh so wished he could just win for once. Win this ever-going unofficial competition between the two friends.

"I should probably go." Cassie stated once putting her phone back. "Chris is a bit worried."

Alex's face turned from anger to sadness. "Don't go. Like you said before, I can't take care of myself."

Cassie sighed. "You'll do fine. Just take the medicine every four hours."

"But…" Alex sighed and looked down at his lap.

Cassie, noticing a change in her friend, looked at him quizzically. "What's wrong?"

"I really want to have you here." He told her truthfully. "I haven't spent a day with just you in awhile. I've missed it."

"I know, but Chris and I planned to do something today." She told him.

He nodded. "I understand."

Cassie's head screamed to get up off the bed and leave the room. But her heart stopped her. That look on his face broke her heart. He looked like a lost puppy dog, not knowing where to go. She couldn't just leave him like this. For one, she'd never forgive herself and feel guilty all day, and two, anything could happen while she was gone. And she surely wasn't going to take that kind of chance.

"I'll stay." She sighed.

Alex's head popped up.

"Really?" he asked, his eyes sparking.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Let me just go call Chris alright?"

"Okay." He agreed with a grin.

Cassie couldn't help but to chuckle as she got off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. She slowly and silently closed the door, making sure Alex didn't hear the soon conversation. She had a feeling this might not go so well. Cassie slowly eased herself down onto the closed toilet and dialed in Chris' phone number. After the second ring, Chris had picked up.

"Cassie? Thank god, I thought you were kidnapped or something." Chris sighed in relief.

"Sorry about that." She apologized.

"So what happened? I woke up suddenly and you weren't there. I waited for a bit, thinking you went for something, but you never came back."

"Sorry." Cassie bit her lip. "I couldn't sleep and when I emailed Alex, who was online, he never answered back, which is unusual as you know. So I went over to his room to see if he was all right. Turns out he's pretty sick. And I know Alex, he hasn't been this bad in a while."

Cassie heard Chris sigh on the other side.

"So I stayed, making sure he was alright." She finished.

"But you're coming over now right?" Chris asked.

"Actually no." she paused for a moment. "I'm going to hang out here for the day. I wanna make sure he's alright."

"So your ditching me for Alex." He sighed, anger apparent.

"Its not like that Chris."

"Sounds like it." He said angrily. "I hate this. I feel like I'm competing for your time."

"He feels the same way Chris. And I truthfully miss the days Alex and I just spent alone." she told him honestly.

"Yeah, but back then he didn't like you and you didn't like him." he stated gruffly.

"I don't like him!" she exclaimed.

"Don't lie Cas. You know you do. Why do you think your there right now?"

"He's sick. As a good friend, I'm helping him out." She defended. "Chris we talked about this. I love you."

"Yeah well if you did, you'd be here right now and not with Alex." He grumbled before hanging up.

Cassie sighed and rubbed her temples. She didn't get why Chris and Alex were so jealous of one another. It was so stupid. But then again, they were men. And being friends with them as long as she had, she knew that they were jealous creatures. But nonetheless, Cassie drew herself up and left the bathroom. She chuckled as she saw Alex snoring lightly on the bed.

"Lex…" she prodded at him. "Time to wake up."

"Go away." He grumbled.

Cassie shrugged before sliding back down beside him. Not even thinking, she drew an arm around his waist and laid a head against his chest. As she heard his heart beat, she slowly fell back to sleep, feeling ease and comfort at this moment.

* * *

**A/N: so it was Chris this time who got the jealousy. Alex was bit cute in this chapter. and more feelings towards Alex is beginning to come apparent through Cassie. but who will she pick? the one she always feels safe with? or the one she's known most of her life and trusted with her life?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:**

"So what do you wanna do?" Cassie looked over at Alex who looked like he was going to fall asleep while on the couch at any moment.

"Sleep." He stated.

"You've slept for most of the day already." She sighed.

"But I'm tired." He mumbled, eyes closed.

Cassie frowned and felt his forehead. It was warmer than that morning. It seemed that every time she checked up on him, he was getting worse. It concerned her as this just came on all of a sudden, with no signs or anything. But she just shrugged it off to be some sort of flu bug.

"Can you quit doing that?" Alex asked, digging his body deeper into the comfortable couch.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it feels too nice." He grumbled.

Cassie snapped her hand back, slightly taken back by the comment. She was going to say something on it, but found Alex had drifted back off to sleep. She inhaled sharply before hearing a knock at the door. Not expecting anyone, Cassie left the sanctuary of the couch anyways and answered the knock.

"Hey Chris." She greeted, walking out into the hall and closing the door so only a small part of the room could be seen.

"Are you done yet?" Chris asked, trying to peer into the room.

Cassie sighed and shook her head. "He seems to be getting worse."

"Or is he just tricking you? What makes you so sure that he isn't doing this as a trick to try to get you away from me?" Chris asked.

"Because he wouldn't do that." She defended.

"Uh huh." Chris rolled his eyes. "Are we talking about the same guy? Wasn't he the one who started that big fight two weeks ago?"

"Can't we all just get past it? Please? I don't want another fight on my hands." Cassie glared at him. "He wouldn't be doing this as a trick. That isn't who he is."

"Neither was wrecking lives, but he was pretty good at doing that Cas." Chris stated.

"Chris, will you stop this." Cassie sighed angrily. "Your acting just like him now you know."

"What?" he looked at her shocked.

"Your acting all jealous just like he was. This is getting way out of hand. For god sakes I love you! How many times do I have to say it Chris. I love you, not Alex!"

"But…" he started to say before his head was snapped to the side from a force slap.

"Chris, Alex is sick. Very sick. I've never seen him this sick before. So stop being a jealous bastard and either help me or get lost before I really lose my temper." She seethed.

Chris lifted a hand and felt the warmth on his cheek from the previous slap. He was shocked she actually slapped him. But he supposed it was a good thing, as it knocked some sense into him. Cassie was right; he was acting just like Alex was, being all jealous. He instantly felt ashamed for how he acted, and knew he had to apologize to the woman in front of him. But before he could open his mouth to say anything, a loud thud came from Alex's room behind Cassie. Cassie's head flew towards the door.

"What the hell was that?" she asked before rushing into the room.

"Oh my god." She breathed when she saw Alex lying on the ground motionless. "Chris!"

"What?" he asked before entering the room and seeing Cassie kneeling beside Alex. "What happened?"

"I don't know." She looked over to the couch and saw the blanket on it had been moved. "I guess he was getting up and going to the bathroom and then something happened."

Chris nodded and knelt down on the other side of Alex and felt his pulse. "Well his heart beat is alright I guess."

"He's not breathing properly." Cassie stated, completely scared now.

Chris's face paled as he saw that she was right.

"Go call 911 Cas." Chris urged her.

* * *

Hours later Cassie, Chris, Petey, and Jimmy were all sitting in the hospital waiting room. Each one were scared for the man they considered a friend in some sort of way. All arguments and hate towards each other vanished as they feared for what the news will bring on Alex.

"Oh god. What if he…" Cassie trialed off, tears springing to her eyes.

"He won't." Chris wrapped an arm around her tightly and brought her closer to him.

"This is all my fault." She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest.

"Its not your fault Hun." He insisted.

"Yes it is. I should have taken him to the doctor earlier. I knew something was wrong. Intuition I guess. I should have done something. I just let him get like this. I'm such a horrible friend." She cried into his shirt.

Chris looked over at the two across from them and sighed. "Babe, its not your fault. You're not at fault for not doing anything. It just happened. There weren't any signs to say he was just going to collapse like that."

"But…" she tried to say.

"Its not your fault Cas." Petey inserted.

"Yeah Cassie, these things just happen." Jimmy nodded.

"But what if…"

"Lets not think of the what ifs. We shouldn't assume anything." Chris rubbed her back soothingly.

"He'll be alright anyways Cas. Alex is a fighter. You know he'd fight with his life." Jimmy tried to calm her down.

"I guess." She looked down. "I just feel so helpless."

"We all do." Chris sighed.

"I needa go call Traci. She'd want to know about this." Cassie slowly drew up.

"You want me to come with you?" Chris asked.

She shook her head. "No its fine. I'll be back."

Chris sighed again as she walked away.

"Is it wrong to feel guilty right now?" Petey asked once she was out of hearing range.

"What do you mean?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean the last time I saw him at the tapings before he left, I said a few things. What if something really is wrong? I'd never be able to forgive myself if it all ended and I never got to make things right between us again." Petey said honestly.

"I know what you mean." Chris leaned back in his chair. "I feel like the worst person. Just before he collapsed in the room, I was out in the hall bad mouthing the guy. I hope to god he didn't hear it. If something happened, I'll feel so guilty for saying those things."

"Guys, lets just hope for the best." Jimmy said. "Like you said, we shouldn't assume anything."

"Yeah I guess." Petey nodded.

"Hey guys." Austin greeted as he and Roderick walked over, despair on their faces.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Roderick asked, sitting beside Petey.

"Nothing yet." Chris sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Where's Cassie?" Austin looked around the waiting room.

"She went to go call Traci." Jimmy informed.

"How's she doing?" Roderick questioned.

"Lets just say she's blaming herself." Petey answered.

"Poor girl." Austin shook his head and leant back in his seat.

"So what exactly happened to Alex?" Roderick wanted to know.

Chris shrugged. "He's been sick since the tapings, apparently getting worse. Cassie and I were talking out in the hall when we heard a thud. He collapsed in the room and wasn't moving. We brought him here and so far nothing has been told on his condition."

"This sucks." Austin stated. "I hope nothing goes wrong."

"Don't we all." Cassie said, walking back over to Chris and sitting beside him. "When did you two get here?"

"A few minutes ago" Roderick answered.

Cassie nodded.

"Look." Jimmy nodded over to the nurse's station.

Stationed over at the desk was a doctor who looked worries and dressed fully in scrubs. After talking privately to the nurse at the station, he was pointed to where they were all sitting. With a nod to the nurse, the doctor walked over to the anxious group.

"Are you all here for Mr. Shelley?" the doctor asked, lowering the plastic mask over his mouth.

They all stood with nods. "Normally we don't express the conditions of patients unless there is a family member present, but I've been told he has none and the closest is a Cassie Collins?"

"That's me." Cassie spoke up.

The doctor nodded. "I'm Doctor Henderson, I've been the main doctor on your friend's case. It seems that something has gone wrong with his lung, as it's in the process of collapsing on him."

"Will he be okay?" Chris asked the words Cassie couldn't find.

The doctor frowned. "In order to help him lung, we have to go into surgery. But unfortunately this sort of thing has a fifty fifty chance of working or not. Meaning there is a large chance that Mr. Shelley could die in surgery."

The faces of the friends all paled.

"I assure you that I will try everything possible to make this a successful surgery, with the best team in this hospital. But we will have to do this surgery as soon as possible." The doctor informed. "I would suggest taking a few minutes each to see him. He is unconscious from the medication, but in case anything does happen, I feel it would be better if you had some time with him."

"Thank you doctor." Chris thanked him. "Where is he."

"The third door on the left through those doors. Unfortunately only three can go in at a time."

Chris nodded. "Alright thank you."

"I wish you all well." He nodded before walking back to the nurse's desk.

"Wow." Petey scratched the back of is head. "This is a lot to take in."

"Yeah." Austin plopped back down into a chair. "Can't believe this is even happening."

"I wanna go see him." Cassie spoke softly.

All men looked at her.

"I'll go to." Chris wrapped an arm around her tightly.

"You might as well go too Petey." Jimmy nodded at the man.

"You sure?" Petey asked.

"Yeah, you three probably need to seem him the most right now. The three of us can go in next." Jimmy assured.

"Thanks." Petey said before looking over at Cassie and Chris. "Ready?"

"Not really but lets go." Cassie's eyes fell downcast.

Chris heart broke at seeing her like this. He hated seeing her hurt or upset, and this was the largest degree possible. Their friend for years, her best friend since she was nine, had a fifty fifty chance of living right now. That was tough to take in fully. It felt like they were stuck in a badly created nightmare, unable to get out to reality. It felt too unreal to all of them. It was as if this shouldn't be happening. But it in fact was.

* * *

**A/N: ooo, whats going to happen to Alex now? bet none of you saw this coming. i suppose i feel a bit evil for doing that to Alex, but on a happier note, it seems like the group has come back together for the cause.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty:**

_

* * *

Ten Years Earlier

* * *

_

"What's up Cas?" a twelve-year-old Alex plopped down in the schoolyard next to the eleven year old Cassie.

Cassie's gaze remained on the blades of grass around her. "Nothing."

"Then how come your over here, all by yourself, after freaking out at your friends for no reason?" he raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged.

"Come on Cas, what's wrong?" he pestered.

"My dad wants to move." She blurted out.

"Oh that sucks. You're going to live with your mom then. How far is he moving?" Alex waved it off as no big deal.

"To Los Angeles, where he grew up." She answered with a frown.

Alex gave her a sympathetic look. He knew how close she was to her father. Her mother wasn't much of a mother in any sense. Hence why his own mother practically referred to Cassie as her daughter.

"He wants me to go with him. He doesn't want me to live with my mother, or visit her. The Court apparently appealed it already."

"What?" Alex's face paled considerably. "But, what about school?"

"I'll go to one there I guess." She grumbled.

"But what about us? We're like family."

"My dad really wants to go." Cassie lifted her head and looked over at Alex, tears springing to her eyes.

"But…" he trailed off looking down.

He never thought there'd be a day that Cassie wouldn't be around. Although they only actually met two years ago, they've hardly been separated for much more than a week. He didn't know what he'd do if Cassie wasn't around anymore. It wasn't like she was just moving back to her mom's over the border and into Windsor. From Detroit to Windsor it was only a short distance. No. This was moving across the country. Different time zones, different climate, different people.

"I don't want to go." Cassie whispered.

"Me either." He told her.

"What if I can't make friends there? What if they all hate me? I'm not good with people hating me." Her bottom lip trembled.

Alex looked at her sadly. "You'll make friends. Who couldn't be friends with you?"

"But, what about you and me? We're best friends." She looked back down at the blades of grass.

"We'll stay friends for sure. We can talk on the phone, email each other, I might be able to get my mom to let me visit you. And you can visit me." He assured her, but in truth, was trying to convince himself more.

"I guess. It won't be the same." Cassie sighed.

"I know." Alex nodded, a frown on his face. "But it's the best we can do."

"We'll always stay friends right Alex?" she asked after a moment.

"Always." He shared a small smile.

* * *

"Come on Alex." Cassie mumbled as she threw another rock at his upstairs bedroom window two nights later.

Eventually a groan came from inside the room, a light flickering on. Cassie grinned as Alex came over to his window and opened it.

"What do you want Cas?" he moaned, rubbing his tired eyes.

"I'm not moving!" she grinned up at him.

"What?" his eyes widened, completely awake now.

"I told my dad that I didn't want to move, so he decided we can stay, I just won't see my mom anymore."

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear.

"I know eh? I should go though. My dad doesn't know I left. He thinks I'm sleeping." She frowned before grinning again. "See you tomorrow?"

"Of course. Night Cas."

"Night Alex."

* * *

_Present

* * *

_

"Cas?" Chris looked down at her. "You alright? You haven't said anything in a bit."

"Just thinking." She told him softly.

"What about?" he wondered.

"Just the past." She looked down. "How long has he been in surgery?"

Chris looked down at his watch. "About 2 hours now."

"How long was it supposed to take?"

"It should be done." Petey motioned over to a group of doctors and nurses leaving the ICU.

Cassie looked over and paled. She couldn't tell what expressions were on their faces. But she couldn't help but to think the worse. She didn't know what she'd do if Alex died. She felt the same way as she did ten years ago when she thought she was moving. She couldn't think of living a day without knowing Alex or having him around. Sure for over a year she never saw him, but they did talk. She still knew he was there, safe and alive. Now, if something happened, she didn't know what to do. She always knew a life where the two were best friends. If he died, what would she do? And to make it even worse, she never got to tell Alex how she felt about him. Nor was she able to tell him face to face that she was sorry about everything. She never formally got to say goodbye to him.

"It'll be okay Cas." Chris tightened his grip on my waist.

"I don't feel any differently. You would think if anything happened to him, we'd feel something." Petey stated.

Austin and Roderick looked at him like he was crazy.

"What? It's true. Friends tend to know when one is hurt, or dead. I remember when I was a kid, when my friend got hit by a car; I had this weird feeling, like I knew he was hurt or something. And you would think Cassie would feel differently. She had the biggest connection with him. They were like family." Petey defended.

"That does kind of make sense." Chris looked down at her.

Cassie shrugged. She couldn't feel anything. She wasn't able to since the moment she saw Alex lying in that hotel room, completely motionless.

"Here comes the doctor." Jimmy informed them all.

As if choreographed, all six stood at the same time, the same grave faces expressed. The doctor walked over to them, a blank look on his face. None of them were able to tell any kind of emotion from the doctor as he lowered his mask.

"Is he alright?" Cassie immediately asked.

The doctor sighed. "The surgery went a bit difficult. It started out fine, we were able to stabilize the problem, but unfortunately Mr. Shelley had stopped breathing at this point. We were able to regain his breathing after a few minutes. After that everything went smoothly until we hit another road block."

If it was possible, you could cut the suspense with a knife. The hearts of ever individual were beating a mile a minute more than usual. Their breathing was altered, some breathing heavily, some not breathing all that much at all.

"Is he okay?" Cassie repeated.

"Mr. Shelley is fine. He is currently unconscious due to the medication, but he'll be fine. I'll go over this with him and you as well later, but I would like the state the large risk of a backfire to this procedure if Mr. Shelley does anything strains for the next two months. No wrestling between that period, and regular weekly check ups are in order." The doctor stated seriously.

"We'll make sure of it all." Chris nodded.

"I would also advise that he be under supervision for at least the next few weeks."

"I'll look after him." Cassie spoke up.

"We all will." Jimmy nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Well you can make your way in there. I was able to make an exception with the nurses to allow you all into the room. But you must remain quiet; Mr. Shelley does need the rest."

"You won't even know we're there." Petey assured him.

"Right. Well if you'll follow me…"

* * *

**A/N: YAY! Alex isn't going to die :D kinda relieved about that, i was a bit freaked out that if i killed him, i might have had reviewers planning my death looks around lol.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One:**

"Ugh, he sleeps too much." Cassie groaned the next morning.

"He's always been like that." Jimmy yawned. "And right now, I wish I was him, all nice and asleep."

"Why don't you head back to the hotel?" Chris suggested.

"Nah, I wanna be here so when he wakes up, I can yell at the guy for worrying us half to death." Jimmy grinned.

They all rolled their eyes.

"Only you would do that Jimmy." Petey slapped him over the head.

"You know you love me for it Petesy." Jimmy stuck out his tongue.

"Guys, shush." Cassie shot them a glare. "You're going to wake him up."

"But that's what I want." Jimmy smirked.

"Hit him again Petey, I don't think he got the idea." Cassie rolled her eyes.

Petey's eyes sparked mischievously as he hit Jimmy over the head once more.

"I feel abused." Jimmy frowned.

"Good." Austin chuckled.

"Not cool guys."

"Well if you were quiet, then we wouldn't be mean." Chris stated.

"True…" Jimmy cocked his head to the side as if he was thinking. "But you know me, it's hard for me not to talk."

"I thought that was me?" Cassie looked up from Alex's bed.

"Its both of you I'm sure." Roderick said.

"Oh it is." Petey rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Jimmy and Cassie said in unison.

"What?" Petey shrugged and sent them an innocent smile.

"Jimmy, hit him now." Cassie told him.

"My pleasure." He grinned and did so.

"My god, you're all like little kids." Scott D'Amore stated from the doorway.

All six of them looked up with innocent smiles as he rolled his eyes and walked into the room, Eric trailing behind him timidly.

"How is he?" Scott looked over at his old student lying in the bed.

"Well he's not dead." Petey stated.

They all threw glares at him.

"What? Its true." He rolled his eyes. "No but seriously, we had a death scare, but he's good now."

"Thankfully." Chris muttered.

Scott nodded. "So how come no one called me? I had to squeeze this information out of Eric here."

"Ah…" Cassie looked around the room at the others.

"We kinda forgot." Jimmy looked down with a guilty expression on his face.

Scott rolled his eyes. "I shouldn't trust any of you with this kind of information."

"You really can't." Jimmy agreed.

"Dude, your not supposed to agree." Petey slapped him over the head again.

Jimmy smirked smugly.

"So he isn't going to die?" Eric asked timidly.

Cassie looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. "No he isn't E.Y."

"Good." His blue eyes sparked.

"We all feel the same way buddy." Chris smiled and patted him on the back.

"Yeah, because if he died, I would have to resurrect him and kill him again for leaving me with all of you." Roderick shook his head.

"Not cool." Petey frowned.

"You would have done the same thing." Austin rolled his eyes.

"Well yeah." He nodded.

"Oh shut up." A mumbled came from the bed.

The room immediately quieted as they all looked over at the sleeping figure.

"Oh sure, go quiet when I'm awake. Bloody friends of mine." Alex mumbled as he fidgeted in the bed.

Grins erupted onto all of their faces. Alex was back. And oddly enough, although he was completely annoying at times, they were all glad about it.

"Finally, your awake, seriously, could it take ya any longer? I was getting restless waiting for you to wake up." Jimmy sighed jokingly

Petey hit him over the head again before they all broke out in laughter.

"Seriously, trying to sleep here. Really needa get new friends." Alex tried to turn over but found it was too painful. "Why are you all in my room, and why am I in pain."

They all fell silent again.

"Doesn't he remember any of it?" Jimmy whispered to Petey.

"He never woke up since he collapsed." Austin whispered back at him.

Jimmy nodded, though a bit confused.

"Fine, don't answer me." Alex said.

"Open the eyes so we don't look like we're crazy and we'll tell ya." Petey told him.

A groan came from Alex as he slowly drew open his eyes. A sigh of relief came from Cassie as he saw him fully awake now. It made it feel more real to her that he was alive with him actually awake.

"So are you going to…where am I?" Alex looked around confused as he moved his upper body up so he was leaning against his elbows.

"Kinda in the hospital dude." Jimmy stated.

"Why? What happened?" he looked over all the faces.

"Who wants to tell him?" Petey asked.

"I vote Cassie." Jimmy shot a smirk over at me.

"Not cool Jimmy." She stuck out her tongue.

"Hey, you're the one who initially found him." Jimmy shrugged.

"Stop fighting already." Scott rolled his eyes. "Go ahead Cassie."

Cassie sighed but nodded and looked at Alex, whose bed was beside her chair. Alex looked down at her expectedly.

"Well…remember how when we were sitting on the couch watching TV and Chris came to the door?" she asked.

Alex nodded.

"Well apparently whatever you were trying to do, you kind of collapsed. We brought you here and they said your lung was trying to collapse. They put you into a fifty fifty chance surgery." She informed.

"You mean I almost died?" Alex raised an eyebrow as his face paled.

"Yeah. You stopped breathing too, which I gotta say is kinda neat when you take out all the death thing." Jimmy mused.

Austin this time was the one who slapped him over the head.

"Wow." Alex looked down at his lap as he tried to move his body up more, but found more pain.

"Here." Chris walked from behind Cassie and helped Alex to sit up.

"Thanks." Alex muttered.

"Are you alright?" Cassie looked at him concerned.

"Yeah." He nodded.

Cassie, knowing him as well as she did, knew he was lying.

"Guys, could you give us a minute?" she asked them all.

They all nodded and stood. A minute later, the room fell into silence, as Cassie and Alex were the only ones left.

"I can't believe I almost died." He stated, barely above a whisper.

"You and me both." She cocked her head to the side. "You really scared us."

Alex remained silent.

"I was really scared you were going to die." Cassie stood and sat slightly on the bed, touching his back. "Don't know what I would have done if you did."

Again, Alex remained quiet.

"Are you okay?" Cassie put her arm around his shoulder.

"I almost died Cas." He whispered.

She tightened her grasp on her shoulders.

"I know."

"Its just hard to take in." he sighed.

"I get that. Want me to leave you alone for a bit? We should probably tell the doctors your woke up anyways."

"Thanks." He moved his head to the side so he was looking at her.

Cassie gave him a small smile. "Hey, I'll do anything for ya. Just as long as you stick around for a bit longer."

He nodded.

"Well I'll just go." Cassie looked about to stand up before she gave him a tight hug. "I'm so happy you didn't die. I wouldn't be able to go on if you did."

He just kept his stare on her.

"Anyways." A blush arose on her cheeks. "I'll see you in a bit. Rest all right? Don't need you galloping around the room when you just had surgery."

"Galloping?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

"You know what I meant." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah I know. Thanks for staying with me through all this. And thank all of them will you. I guess I never really appreciated you all until I found out I almost died."

"It tends to change people." Cassie agreed. "I'll see you soon Lex."

"Alright CeCe." He told her as she turned and walked towards the door. Right as she was leaving the room, Alex muttered three last words, barely audible. "I love you."

* * *

**A/N: took a bit longer than i expected to get finished. i had most of it, but i suppose i had a small mental block for the last few lines. anyways, its done, and it ends with a, well not really a shocker, as we all knew he loved her. its just now whatwill happen next?**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two:**

"Why can't I get up?" Alex complained.

"Because the doctor told you to stay in bed." Cassie rolled her eyes from the bedroom doorframe.

"But…"he tried to think up something witty to say, but failed miserably.

"Is he still complaining?" Chris came up from behind Cassie with a smirk plastered on his face.

"What do you think." She chuckled before catching the tongue protruding from Alex. "Oh how very mature Alex."

"Shouldn't you be nice to me since I did almost die?" he pouted.

"Not when you're annoying." Cassie countered.

He opened his mouth to say something but after a moment, his gaping mouth closed and he just folded his arms. That of course shot pain up through him.

"Bloody pain." He muttered.

"The doctor said there's going to be a lot of it for awhile. When was the last time you took your medication?" Cassie stated.

Alex shrugged.

"It won't hurt to give him a few more painkillers." Chris told Cassie. "Go get them and I'll keep Alex here company."

"You sure?" she looked at his skeptically.

"Positive." He smiled.

"Alright. Be right back." She looked over at Alex for a minute before turning towards the stairs.

Chris chuckled before turning into Alex's makeshift room and sitting down lazily in a chair beside his bed.

"So how are you feeling?" Chris asked him.

"Meh." He shrugged.

"Kind of figured you'd say that." Chris stifled a laugh.

"Can I ask you something?" Alex looked at Chris, an odd serious face plastered on.

"Ah sure." Chris sat up confused.

"Why are you acting like the past month never happened?"

Chris looked at him like he was crazy.

"Well you did almost die. It kind of makes you change your perceptive about people." Chris answered slowly.

"Yeah, but after what I did, I didn't really think It'd be that easy." Alex scratched the back of his head.

Chris shrugged. "Neither did I. But when Cassie and I found you collapsed on the floor in your hotel room, everything that's happened between all of us sort of just dissolved."

Alex nodded slowly. "I guess."

"Since we're talking about it, could I ask you a question?" Chris asked.

"I didn't do it." He blurted out before realization hit. "Sorry, force of habit."

Chris rolled his eyes. Alex really was back.

"No but really, sure." Alex told him seriously.

"Do you love her?" Chris questioned.

Alex tensed. "What?"

"Do you love her? Cassie I mean." He repeated.

"Ah…" Alex paled, trying to think up a convincible lie.

"Don't lie Alex. Although I'm not mad at you about everything, I don't need lying from you." Chris warned.

Alex sighed. Chris would find out eventually. They all would. And Alex already knew Chris thought that he did in fact love Cassie.

"Fine…I think I kind of do." He answered, his head hanging in shame.

Chris nodded. He already expected that. Though it still stung to here that it was correct.

"How long?"

"I don't know." Alex sighed in frustration. "Dude, don't worry, I'm not going in on your territory. Cassie's happy with you. I'm not going to wreck that."

"I'm not afraid of that. I'm just doubting…"

"Don't." Alex shook his head. "She loves you. Not me. Don't doubt your future with her. You have her, keep it that way."

Chris looked at him. Alex seemed oddly enough mature.

"I love her, yeah, but I know you love her too. I guess I was just being a jealous jackass a few weeks ago. But this whole life and death thing changed me I think. I'm not going to waste my time on something I can't have. So don't worry about her. She's yours. And will always be yours." Alex told him.

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but found no words.

"Just make sure you don't hurt her. I just want to see her happy."

"I won't hurt her. I wouldn't be able to. Not intentionally." Chris blurted out.

"I know." Alex nodded before hearing a noise outside the door. "That's probably Cassie. Could you just tell her I fell asleep. Don't really want to take more medication. Tastes awful."

Chris chuckled. "Sure."

"Thanks. Really thanks." Alex stated before slowly rolling over so his back was towards Chris.

Chris looked at him for a moment before walking towards the closed door, which was slowly opening.

"I've got the med…did he just fall asleep?" Cassie looked at the bed.

"Yeah." Chris lied.

"Alright, I guess I'll just take these back down." Cassie frowned. "When do you have to go?"

"My flight for Philadelphia is at five. I should probably head over to the airport soon." Chris stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Cassie remained frowning as she closed Alex' door, giving him some privacy,

"When are you coming back?"

"In six days." He answered.

"Six days without seeing you. That sucks." She pouted.

"I'm not even going to say it." He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"This pout has to work at some point on you." She insisted.

"I can safely say no on that one." He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I should head back to my own place over the border."

"Can't you stay longer?" she pleaded.

"I wish." He sighed. "But no. I should get going incase there's traffic."

"I'm going to miss you." She stated, beginning to walk with him down the stairs and into the front hall.

"I'll miss you too. I'll call you when I get to the airport all right? Then when I land." He stated.

"Alright." She nodded.

"You'll be alright by yourself?"

"Yeah. Jimmy and Petey will be back Friday evening, and Scott said he'd check up on Alex during the week if he had a spare minute. And Bobby and Eric said they'd drive here sometime in the week before they had to fly off somewhere." She told him.

"Alright. Call me if you need anything." He placed a hand on her hip.

"Will do. Or you know, if I just need a reliever." She smirked.

"That too." He smirked back before capturing her lips with his own.

"Mmhhmm." Cassie grinned when they parted. "That was nice. I'm going to miss that."

"It's only six days." He rolled his eyes. "You'll survive."

"I suppose." She pouted once more.

"Stop with the pout." He chuckled. "It does absolutely nothing."

"Still say it has to eventually."

Chris once again rolled his eyes. "Believe me, It wont."

"Dang." She frowned.

Chris laughed before looking at the time. "I'll see you in six days alright?"

"Yeah alright." She sighed.

"I'm only a phone call away if you need me." He hugged her tightly.

Cassie held onto him as if he would evaporate if she let go. "I'll be using that a lot then."

"And nothing in the dirty nature." He nudged her jokingly.

"Party pooper." She smirked. "Alright, go before I won't let you."

"I'd like to see you try to stop me."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No." Chris chuckled. "Love you."

"Love you too. Have fun. But not too much fun." She gave him a peck on the cheek before pushing him lightly towards the door.

"I'll make sure I'm miserable the whole time."

"Good. Now go. Your annoying me now." She pushed him out the door.

He turned back to say one last thing, but before he could, Cassie slammed the door shut in his face. After a laugh, she smirked and began back up the stairs, leaving Chris on the other side, rolling his eyes and descending off the porch.

* * *

**A/N: nothing that special happens in this chap. but the fact that Cassie is going to be alone with Alex for a few days is a bit interesting...now i wonder what could happen? any guesses?**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three:**

"Ugh! I hate this game." Cassie groaned and threw down the fifty dollars she owed Alex.

Alex grinned. "Oh come on. Don't take your anger out on the game."

"I swear, talk much more and I won't even care that you're hurt."

"Ouch. When's someone else coming? I don't feel safe with you anymore." Alex smirked at her.

Cassie gave him the middle finger before standing up.

"Where ya going, we're not done yet. I still have to put houses on Boardwalk."

"Going to go plan your death." She glared at him.

"You know, you shouldn't be saying that as I did just almost died.

Cassie's face immediately softened. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Ah Cas, I was just kidding. Geez, someone needs to relax." Alex rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Ow, laughing hurts."

Cassie chuckled. "We discovered that hours ago Lex."

"Shut up CeCe."

Cassie stuck her tongue out at him.

"So where are you really going? To the kitchen I hope. I'm starving." Alex touched his stomach. As if on cue, a large growl omitted from it.

Cassie laughed. "I see that. And yeah I was. Feel up to popcorn?"

"Throw in the chips too and I'll be happy." He grinned.

"You know we should be feeding you healthier stuff." She commented.

"To me that is healthy."

"That's true." She rolled her eyes. "I'll be right back. Don't go cheating. I have a photographic memory, I know where everything thing is on that board."

"What about money?" he smirked.

"I have fifty dollars left, I know that." She stuck out her tongue before making it to the door. "If anything, give me a few bucks. A girl's gotta live you know."

Alex rolled his eyes as she left the room and began down the stairs. Once he knew she was out of earshot, he quickly rounded out a few hundred from his immense pile of monopoly cash, and placed them neatly underneath Cassie's fifty. He had always beaten the girl at almost video or bored game they have played in the past years. The only thing Cassie had over him was that of card games. Alex never really did see the point in Blackjack. That's how they found themselves here, playing a round of monopoly, after of course playing a few games of battleship, clue, risk, and others. When you had to stay in bed, games were the only thing to occupy you. Next on the market was Mario brothers on Nintendo. Old, but Cassie's favorite. Alex had suggested playing it earlier, but Cassie insisted that they did what he wanted. That's what he always loved about her. She always made sure others were happy before her. Hence how he always put it upon himself to make sure at least once in a while, she did things for herself.

"Hey Alex!" Cassie called up the stairs.

"What!"

"Stop cheating!"

"I'm not cheating!" he shouted back with a grin.

"Uh huh." He could just imagine her rolled her eyes. "Anyways, what do you want, regular or all dressed?"

"What do you think?" he called back.

"Regular."

"Not funny. You know I'm the all dressed kind of guy."

Cassie laughed before going back to what she previously was doing. Alex shook his head with a chuckle before looking around the room. It was really the spare bedroom in Cassie and Petey's house in Windsor. Since the doctor has ordered for him to be under complete observation, Cassie was able to get him to Windsor to stay here instead of his own place only ten minutes away in Detroit. He was slightly confused as to why they couldn't just stay at his place. But when he thought about it now while he was alone in this room, he knew there was a hidden meaning in not wanting to spend time alone with him in his house for more than a day or so. It had been his own room that they had had sex in years ago. Cassie must still be regretting that day, as she never liked going in his room anymore. It slightly hurt, Alex had to admit that. He knew he loved her back then. To him, it wasn't just a simple one-night-stand. It was much more than that. But for Cassie, all it was, was one big mistake. And that hurt. It meant that she didn't feel the same towards him that he felt towards her. He couldn't mistake it for anything else but hurt.

"Wow, you're quiet." Cassie commented from the door.

Alex looked up in surprise, not expecting her back yet.

"The popcorn kind of had an unfortunate end of life." She explained, amusement written on her face.

"Did you blow the bag up again?" Alex laughed.

"No." she glared at him before breaking out in laughter. "Though that one time was funny. How old were we anyways?"

"You were 14 and I was 15." Alex answered with a grin. "Our parents were both on a weekend business trip, so my mom let me stay with you and not her boyfriend."

"I remember that." Cassie sat back down, laying a bowl of chips on the nightstand beside Alex's bed. "We were going to watch an old scary movie, which was your idea not mine, and we decided we needed popcorn."

"But when you put it into the microwave, you put it on the wrong setting, and then you totally forgot about it." Alex nodded.

"Only until it blew up." Cassie reminded him with a smile. "That was one huge mess."

"Hilarious though. I still remember your dads face when we told him the story."

"I think that was the end of letting popcorn in the house." She laughed. "Damn I miss the good old times."

"You and me both. When it was just you and me." Alex smiled in agreement.

"We had some good times didn't we?" Cassie looked at him.

"Yeah we did." Alex nodded.

Cassie nodded as well before looking down at where her monopoly money was. She instantly saw that the pile was higher than before she left. But she already knew that was going to happen. She had always failed miserably in monopoly when she played Alex; it was the same every time. But every time, when she went to go to the bathroom, to get something to eat, or leave at all, Alex always gave her some of his money. He was never obligated to, and she never asked. He just did it. And he always did, every game they played. In the beginning, it sort of angered her, not needing his pity to win. But she eventually grew to love that about Alex. He might no seem it most of the time, but he was always generous, especially with her.

"Cas, you're thinking again." Alex rolled his eyes. "What did I say about doing that?"

"Sorry, I forgot that I wasn't allowed to think because it makes you jealous that I have an actual brain unlike yourself." She smirked at him.

"Ouch." He put a hand over his heart. "That hurt a lot Cas."

"Good." She stuck her tongue out.

"You're supposed to be nice to the injured one." He pointed out.

"Nah." She grinned and shook her head. "Now lets get back to the game, I must have some kind of luck coming my way."

"I doubt it." Alex grinned as well.

* * *

"No." Cassie shook her head sternly.

"Cas, the doctor said if I was feeling up to it, then I should get up and move around." Alex sighed.

"No." she repeated. "You could hurt yourself."

"Cassie!" he exclaimed loudly. "Stop being over protective! I'm fine. Its not like I died or anything."

Hurt flew across her face. "But you could have." She replied softly.

"But I didn't. So stop treating me like a diseased little kid who can't walk." He sighed.

"But…"

"CAS!"

She bowed her head. It had been this exact argument for the past two days with the two. Ever since two days ago, after their monopoly game, they had been fighting nonstop. Alex wanted to get up and finally leave the bedroom, Cassie, the overprotective friend that she was, wanted him to continue resting.

"I'm only trying to help." She mumbled, crossing her arms, head still bowed.

"Well your not helping me by keeping me cooped up." He stated.

"Fine." She turned. "Do whatever you want. Don't come crying to me when you feel an immense amount of pain."

"I'll live through it."

"Fine." She began walking to the bedroom door.

"Oh come on Cassie, the least you can do is help me." Alex sighed.

Cassie replied with a door slam.

"Mother fucker…" Alex cursed as he looked at the door.

He didn't mean to make her mad. He just wanted to get her off his back. He knew she didn't mean to be so overprotective. He knew she was just trying to help him. But Alex couldn't help but feel smothered by her now. He spent too many days cooped up in this room. The setting was too familiar now; it was too annoying to see at every waking moment. He needed a chance in scenery. But apparently, he wasn't going to get that fast enough. As Alex moved his legs over the bed edge, he felt a bit of pain through his abdomen. Though once he fully stood up, he could now feel the pain a hundred percent stronger. It felt like knives were stabbing him repeatedly. It hurt like nothing he had ever felt before. But like the stubborn man he was, Alex looked determinedly towards the door. He at least wanted to make it out of the room, to prove a point. But unfortunately, after about halfway towards the door, his breathing became heavy, and his stance was staggering. From the immense pain raining through him, he began to feel light headed and fell to the ground on one knee, trying to shake the feeling. He of course couldn't, which resulted in his hands flying to his abdomen, his next knee falling to the carpet. As if on cue, Cassie came barging into to room.

"I told you so." She stated before kneeling down before him, pills in hand. "Here."

He mumbled an incoherent thank you before swallowing the pills. The pain didn't fade though. In fact, it began to gain intensity. Alex scrunched up his face, trying not to wince or cry out in pain. Cassie caught onto this as she softly put an arm around his waist and slowly drew him to his feet. Still feeling light headed, Alex began to stumble.

"Put your arm around me." Cassie told him.

Alex obliged and put an arm around her shoulder. It didn't help much, but it did allow Cassie to get him to the bed easier. As she helped him back into his previous position, Alex couldn't help but to let out a small cry of pain.

"I wish you would have just listening to me." Cassie grumbled, looking at him in sympathy.

He just glared at her.

"Don't glare at me. You're the one who brought this on." She glared back.

"Just go away." He said through the pain.

Cassie opened her mouth to object, but no words came out. Feeling a bit peeved at him herself, she felt it easy to oblige to the request. So she simply twisted around and left the room, a slam of the door alerting Alex to his wish; solitude.

* * *

**A/N: well it started out cute with the two of them...but Alex got a bit of an attitude near the end...i personally blame it on the medication he's on lol.**

**Oh and beware, next chapter, i'm planning a bit of a shock...though if i asked, i'm pretty sure most were expecting it to come lol...until next time...**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four:**

"I still don't think you should be walking." Cassie watched Alex from across the kitchen.

"I'm just a little sore and slow." Alex assured her and he looked through the fridge. "You need food."

"I know, you keep eating it all." Cassie rolled her eyes and walked over to him, noticing a bit of pain on his face. "Why don't you go back upstairs and I'll find something."

"Oh no, your not making me go back up there." Alex shook his head. "I call the couch."

Cassie sighed. If she knew one thing about Alex, it was that when he was stubborn, there was no changing his mind.

"Fine. But your going to stay there for a bit." She finally agreed.

"Alright I fold." Alex held up his hands and nodded. "But seriously, about this food…"

"I'm going to have to go to the store." She stated.

"Can I come?"

"No." Cassie immediately said,

"Why not. I'm fine." Alex pouted.

"Oh no, its not that. You're like a five-year-old when you go to the grocery store. I swear, I always wanna smack you." She chuckled.

"Not nice." He frowned.

"Its true." She smirked.

"Come on please, I really wanna leave the house." He tried on the puppy dogface.

"No such luck Lex." She patted him on the shoulder. "But how about this, since you wanna leave and everything, tomorrow when Petey and Jimmy get here, we'll all go out to eat somewhere."

"not as fun as going out now."

"Take it or leave it." she shrugged.

Alex thought it over for a minute before nodding rapidly. "I'll take it."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Good. Now go to the couch and relax. I'll be less than an hour."

"But I'll starve!" his eyes widened.

Again she rolled her eyes before grabbing a box of cereal. "Here, eat this while I'm gone."

"But…"

"Oh just hurry it up Lex." Cassie rolled her eyes and pushed him lightly towards the living room.

"You're a pushy one." He mumbled.

"You know you love me for it." she laughed.

"Damn straight." He stated.

"See there ya go." She poked his arm. "Now stay out of trouble. God only knows what you'll do when I'm gone."

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" he defended, sitting down on the couch.

"Remember that time your mom left you alone for the whole day because she and her boyfriend were going on a day trip? The house looked like a tornado went through it." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault, it was the bloody dog." He grumbled and cross his arms.

"Uh huh…sure." Cassie chuckled. "Just stay in one spot alright?"

Cassie laughed as Alex began mumbling small curses at her. Ordinary Alex.

"Well I'll be back."

"Uh huh." Alex waved.

* * *

"What the hell…fuck…Alex what did you do…" Cassie grumbled as she almost fell walking through the door an hour later, bags in hand.

When silence reached her ears, Cassie looked into the living room with interest. What she saw caused a grin. Alex lay there on the couch, one leg sprawled over the cushion, while one was bent to the ground. The same was for his arms, except one was on his chest while one was dangling to the ground. A soft snore erupted from the man, causing Cassie to stifle a laugh as she laid the bags down on the table in the front hall. She slowly walked into the room Alex was in, trying to not disturb him. Yet a wicked thought fell through her mind. She knew she shouldn't be thinking about pranking him when he was recuperating, but she just couldn't help it. With a mission in mind, Cassie smirked and walked into the kitchen to fetch a large glass of freezing cold water. Seconds later she returned to the room only to notice Alex wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Cassie looked around confused. "Did I just walk into the twilight zone or something?"

"Nope, just really naïve." Alex smirked from behind as he stole the glass from the table she had set the water down on and poured it over her head instead.

"AH!" Cassie screamed as the freezing cold water touched her skin. "You bastard!"

"Hey, you were going to do it to me." He smirked at her as she squirmed at the coldness of the water.

"Gah! That was too cold…I hate you." She pouted and shivered, trying to spread the water off her dirty blonde hair.

"No you don't." he grinned as he folded his arms, looking mighty proud of himself.

"I can't believe you did that." She glared up at him, trickles of water falling down her face. "After everything I did for you, you go and prank me when I was going to prank you."

"Yeps." Alex smirked. "Feel pretty proud of myself for getting you. I so rock."

"Meanie." She narrowed her eyes. "Now I'm all wet."

"Aww…poor you." Alex mocked before cracking out in laughter.

"Don't hurt yourself." She shot at him after he finished laughing and felt the pain due to it.

"Meanie." He now pouted.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Now I have to go change…you suck you know that."

"No I don't…but I'm sure you do…or have you not gotten that far with Chris yet?" Alex asked with a wicked smile and a wink.

"Your such a pervert you know that." She punched him in the arm.

"Ow." He rolled his eyes.

Cassie poked him just above his belly button.

"Ow, now that actually hurt." Pain flashed across Alex's face.

"Oh, I'm such a bitch. Are you okay? Do you wanna sit down?" her eyes widened.

As soon as Cassie was at his side, feeling guilty, Alex grabbed her waist. He began tickling her in her deadliest spot; right below her rib cage.

"AH! ALEX!" she screamed and tried to get out of his grasp.

"tisk tisk, your not a team player." He smirked as he pushed her down onto the couch and began tickling all over her rib cage now.

"Get away." She tried squirming out of the way and pushing his hands back.

Alex smirked and grabbed her hands with one of his and locked them together. With his free hand, he rapidly tickled her sensitive spot under her ribs.

"Ah-ah-stop!" she begged.

"Not until you say that 'Alex is the coolest person around'." He told her.

"Not a chance bastard." She said through gasps of breath.

Alex shrugged and began tickling her faster. "Guess I'll just continue this then."

"No…. alright alright…I'll say it…"

"Go on…" Alex encouraged.

"Alex is the…biggest asshole in the whole world…"

"That wasn't the right sentence." Alex smirked.

"Come on…ah!" she cried out as he now moved to her upper hip. "Okay okay, I give in I give in. Alex is the coolest person around…stop!"

Alex took a few more swipes at her before stopping. Though he kept his firm grip around her wrists.

"You…suck…you…bastard…"she gasped out as she tried to regain her normal breathing pattern.

Alex laughed. "That was for all those times you pranked me."

"You suck." She repeated with a glare.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Is that all you know how to say."

"Bastard." She stuck out her tongue as she tried to pry his hand off her wrists. "Give me my wrists back."

"Don't think I will."

"I so hate you." She tried struggling out of his grasp.

"Nope. You so love me." He grinned as he watched her sit up further into the couch.

Cassie stuck her tongue out at him.

"You should really stop that unless your willing on using it." he told her wickedly.

She once again repeated sticking her tongue out. This time thought, Alex used his free hand to grab at it, stopping it from going back into her mouth. Cassie now, having enough of Alex and his little pranks, kneed Alex in the groin, making him lose his grip on her tongue.

"Ugh, you annoy me Shelley." She groaned.

"I know." He smirked as he rubbed his crotch in pain. "That actually hurt you know."

"Good." She glared at him.

"That's not very nice you know. I think I should teach you a little lesson on how to be nice." He stated.

"Really…and you would do that how?" Cassie challenged him.

Alex kept his hold on her wrists, which were in her lap, and moved his body so he was only inches away from her.

"Oh I have ways."

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "I bet you have nothing."

"Is that a challenge Cassie dear?"

"You betcha." She smirked. "Now, show me what you've got. Because all I see right now, is a sad little man who only makes threats."

"Ouch, that hurt Cas." He mocked before smirking once more. "And I'm not sure your ready for my little lesson."

"Bring it on Shelley, bring it on."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the challenge. "You sure about this?"

"See, you have nothing. Knew it all along…I'm so totally right…" she grinned in victory.

Alex rolled his eyes before grabbing her chin.

"Oh just you wait CeCe, just you wait." He warned her.

Cassie looked up at him with a smirk. He had nothing. She knew that. He was talk, but no game.

"So, when are you going to teach me this little lesson?" she asked, mocking him.

Alex smirked. "Right now."

Cassie raised an eyebrow and waited. Nothing.

"Uh huh…right…cause this is totally a les…" Cassie began before she got interrupted by a set of lips on her own.

* * *

**A/N: dun dun dun...wonder whats gonna happen next? ;)**


	35. Chapter 35

**WARNING: some content may be graphic or offensive to some. continue with caution**

**Note: song: Changes ;Artist: 3 Doors Down ; Disclamer: completely don't own

* * *

****Chapter Thirty-Five:**

"What-what was that?" Cassie mumbled as Alex brought his head back from hers, breaking the kiss.

"Usually people call it a kiss Cas." Alex rolled his eyes with a smirk.

Cassie breathed in his scent. He was so close. Too close. She could feel his slightly altered breathing pattern on her skin. His free hand was trailing small designs on her neck, sending shivers up her spine. In all, this just couldn't be happening.

"I'm with Chris." She blurted out.

"Yeah, well, rumor has it, you're not so sure about how you feel about me."

Cassie's heart raced. "Alex, why did you do that?"

"What, kiss you?" he raised an eyebrow.

She nodded, not trusting herself to talk.

"See…"Alex let go of her wrists and brought that hand up to trail a line up and down her side. "Rumor has it that I still have feelings for you."

"You said you weren't going to do anything. You told Chris that." She said in a quiet voice, trying not to like the feeling Alex was giving her from his touch.

"You heard that?" Alex stopped everything and looked down at her.

She nodded quickly.

Alex thought for a moment before going back to his previous doings. "Well, I was on heavy medication. You never know what I could have said."

"You lied to him." She accused.

"Technically yes…come on Cassie, you can't deny that you feel something for me." He insisted.

Cassie opened her mouth to deny his accusations, but found that no words were able to come out. She was speechless in guilt. He was right. Alex smirked down at her before lowering his head to her neck, placing his lips of her still wet skin. Cassie closed her eyes as emotions ran through her. She didn't know what to do. She loved Chris; she had for a bit now. But she couldn't deny that she had feelings for Alex. Which that too had been going on for a bit. As of right now, it felt too good for her to stop. She didn't want to stop him. But she just couldn't help but see Chris' face in her mind. It made her feel so guilty that she was feelings these things towards Alex, when she was with Chris.

"Alex…"she said breathlessly. "…Stop."

"Come on Cas…"Alex said between kisses he planted on her neck. "Just enjoy."

And to her unfortunate please, Cassie did just that.

* * *

"I hate you!" Cassie screamed at Alex.

Alex put his hands over his ears to drown out her screaming. For two hours straight she had been cursing and yelling at him for doing what he did. Not once was he able to get in that it took two to have sex, not just one.

"Cas…"he tried to but in.

"I hate you so much! I can't believe you did that! Your such a bastard." She threw a book at him.

Alex quickly dodged the book, but due to his quick movement, he agitated his ribs and lungs. He clenched his teeth together before continuing dodging the books that were being thrown at him dangerously.

"Cassie Stop." He demanded.

"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" she threw another book.

"I didn't rape you Cas. You had a role in it to you know. I didn't force you. You could have stopped me at anytime. And you could have used force. But you didn't." Alex ducked a vase. "God damnit Cas, listen to me!"

"No. Your out to fucking ruin my relationship with Chris!" she screamed at him.

"No I'm not! You did this to. You had sex with me too you know." Alex glared.

"If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened." She glared back.

"Would u like me to go back in time and make sure I died? I'm sure this would solve all your bloody problems." Alex seethed.

"You know what, maybe it would have!"

Alex stopped dead in his tracks, not believing what just happened there. He couldn't help but feel numb.

**I'm not supposed to be scared of anything**

**But I don't know where I am**

**I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted**

**And nobody understands (how I feel)**

"I sometimes wish I never met you all those years ago. All you've done is ruined my life." She breathed heavily.

Alex just stood there, looking down at his feet.

"I'm going out. Here's an idea, when I come back, your not here." She suggested cruelly before walking towards the door.

Alex remained silent, waiting to hear the slam of the door. Once he did, he caved. He felt his legs go week, so he slid down the nearest wall and just closed his eyes. His breathing was scarce. He felt like he couldn't even breathe at all. All could feel was the thumping of his heart in his body, threatening to spill out. Alex couldn't help but let a stray tear fall from his right eye as he tried to wish that Cassie never said what she did.

**I'm trying hard to breathe now**

**But there's no air in my lungs**

**There's no one here to talk to**

**And the pain inside is making me numb**

**Try to hold this under control,**

**You can't help me, cause no one knows**

"_If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened."_

Alex bit his lip as he felt another tear stain his face.

_"Would u like me to go back in time and make sure I died? I'm sure this would solve all your bloody problems."_

Hurt arose in his chest as he imagined Cassie's beautiful face saying the next words.

_"I sometimes wish I never met you all those years ago. All you've done is ruined my life."_

**Feelin' weak and weary**

**Walkin' through the world alone**

Alex felt his lungs pounding inside his body, as if they were trying to compress. Every time he took a breath, it tore his heart into a million pieces. Every time he thought her name, the pain would return. He couldn't believe that she had said those words to him.

_"I'm going out. Here's an idea, when I come back, your not here."_

Alex opened his eyes, the red weary appearance showing through his stature. A thought of determination fell through him.

_"Here's an idea, when I come back, your not here"_

He'd grant her that wish. Alex, grabbing onto the wall behind him, slowly drew himself to his feet. As he tried to continue breathing properly, he slowly walked his way to the familiar kitchen. He took a glance around the room before his eyes rested on the item he wanted.

**Everything they say every word of it**

**Cuts me to the bone, (and I bleed)**

**I've got something to say**

**But now I've got nowhere to turn**

He slowly made his way to the counter and picked up the somewhat small object. He eyed the sharp edge of the silver end. His head cocked to the side as he contemplated the next step. The hurt he felt was too much. He couldn't take it. He didn't know anything could hurt this much.

_"Here's an idea, when I come back, your not here"_

After a quick nod, Alex took the small cutting knife and looked around. He didn't want to do this here, in the kitchen. But he didn't know where. He finally chose the living room, as he could end his pain where it first started. Once he was standing in the middle of the room, the exact spot he was in when Cassie said those words.

_"I sometimes wish I never met you all those years ago. All you've done is ruined my life."_

**It feels like I've been buried**

**Underneath all the weight of the world**

**I try to hold this under control,**

**They can't help me, cause no one knows**

Alex closed his eyes tightly before lifted the knife up to the level of his other arm. Before he could do anything though, his hand shook. He was scared. He never thought he would be someone who would end their time in the world this way. He was always happy. Until this all started anyways. Ever since Chris made his move on her, Alex had felt pain. Pain too much to bear.

**I'm blind and shakin', bound and breakin'**

**I hope I'll make it, through all these changes**

After taking one final sigh, Alex nodded to himself and touch the cold blade to his shaking arm. At first, nothing happened, but after a swift swipe, pain fell through his arm. Alex bit his lip and he tried to stop cries of pain.

**Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it**

Alex tried to cut his arm again, but after seeing the blood streaming down his arm, he dropped the knife. Shock ran through him as realization hit. He actually did that. He hurt himself. And now he was bleeding. More pain. More pain to try to bear, yet not able to.

"Okay, okay, I was a complete bitch. Lay it on me…" Cassie's voice came from the door. "I'm really really sorry…I never meant to say those things. I swear."

Alex's eyes widened as he looked at his predicament. Here he was, standing in the middle of the living room, knife at his feet, and arm bleeding. There was no way to make this look innocent.

"Look Alex, I swear to god, if I could take that back, I swear I would. I'm so sorry…" Cassie walked into the living room and stopped as she saw him. Her eyes widened as she looked from the knife at his feet to his arm. "Oh my god…Alex what did you do?"

**I'm not supposed to be scared of anything**

**But I don't know where I am**

**I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted**

Alex fell to his knees. He didn't know how to respond. He was caving in. his whole world was disappearing. His best friend hurt him more than anything, and he tried to commit the ultimate sin. He didn't know who he was anymore.

"Alex?" she whispered. "Oh my god."

**Now I'm going through changes, changes**

**God, I feel so frustrated lately**

**When I get suffocated, save me**

**Now I'm going through changes, changes**

Cassie took a few steps into the room. At one point she stopped, too shock to continue. But after a deep breath she continued until she was right in front of him. Tears fell down her face as she knelt down and picked up the knife that was fallen on the ground. She watched as blood dripped down onto the carpet with sad eyes. The knife soon fell numbly from her hands as she looked at Alex.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Alex bowed his head in shame. He couldn't look at her. Not because she hurt him. But because he was ashamed of himself.

**Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it**

"I'm so so sorry. Oh god. I'm awful." Cassie took his arm and peered at the cut. It wasn't deep, but it would need cleaning. And soon. Her heart broke as she saw tears falling down Alex's face.

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

**A/N: that was probably the hardest chapter to write...almost cried during it. sniff sniff poor Alex sniff sniff i just wanna huge the guy and hit Cassie. **

**now i bet all those that hated Alex in beginning are feeling different now ;) how many of you feel sorry for him?**


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty-Six:**

_Lockdown _

"You sure your ready to come back to the ring?" Petey looked at Alex hesitantly.

Alex nodded, plastering a fake smile on his face. "I'm great Petey. My doctor cleared me yesterday, and the trainers said I'm all good to go."

"I guess." He nodded. "But are you sure your mentally ready?"

"I'm fine." He said, a bit more harshly then he intended.

Petey raised an eyebrow, knowing he was still hurting from what had happened nearly two months previous.

"She's not here Alex. She's on the Japan tour with Austin and Roderick. You don't have to worry seeing her here." Petey tried to assure him.

Alex shrugged.

"I don't get why you just wont talk to her. She feels horrible about all of this." Petey sighed.

"She hurt me Petey."

"I get that. But she's sorry. She wishes she could take it all back." Petey pleaded her case.

"But she can't. What happened happened. There's no changing the past. She hurt me. And now I'll forever have the scar to look at, reminding me of that day." Alex pointed down to the narrow scar line that fell across a small portion of his arm.

Petey looked down. He knew he was hurting still. In truth, if it were he, he would feel the same way. Petey couldn't blame Alex. He had every right to be angry, hurt, sad, and a lot more. But that also didn't mean that Cassie wasn't feeling hurt either. Petey knew something Alex didn't. Cassie wasn't planning on coming back. When she had packed for this trip a month ago, she packed more than a normal person would. That and when he peered at her plane ticket, it was one way. There was no return trip. She wasn't coming back. The worst thing, she had already found a small house there, or so it said so in her last email back to him. She was really gone.

"I'm never going to forgive her. I'm never going to forget." Alex stated stubbornly.

Petey looked up at the rage in Alex's eyes.

"She's not coming back Alex." He blurted out.

Alex remained in his anger form.

"I talked to Dixie Carter and Larry Zbyszko. She has the next month off. If she doesn't come back by the next PPV, then her contract will be terminated. She's not coming back for the next PPV. She won't come back. She's staying in Japan. She already has a place there." Petey told him.

Alex shrugged like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Stop being an ass Alex." Chris said from the doorway.

Alex rolled his eyes and ignored the man.

"You love her you bastard. How can you be so cruel as to not care that she's not coming back?" Chris asked in disgust.

Alex once again shrugged. Chris narrowed his eyes and pushed Alex back.

"What the hell!" Alex looked livid.

"You might be hurt, but you love her. Don't act like you don't because I can see that you do. You wouldn't have done that." Chris pointed at the scar on his arm. "If you didn't love her. She hurt you. I get that. And I get that it's hard to forgive. But she's sorry. She's living a miserable life."

"And how would you know?" Alex asked.

Chris held up a piece of paper. "She sent me this email earlier today. Told me everything. Told me how you and she had sex that day. Told me how she feels guilty for cheating on me. Do you wanna know what she said next? She felt overly guilty that she loved it. Every last minute of it. She loves you. She always has."

"Whatever." Alex rolled his eyes.

Chris, having just about enough of Alex, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

"Are you even listening to anything I'm saying? She loves you! You love her! Go do something about it!"

"Fuck you." Alex said simply.

"Alright alright Chris, no hitting." Petey put a hand on Chris' shoulder, sensing he was about to result into a more physical mean of getting Alex to understand.

"You two are together, so why should I care?" Alex asked, fixing his shirt.

Chris glared at him. "We haven't been together for a month. The day before she left, we talked. Talked for hours. We decided it would be best to stay friends. I still love her. But I know I'll never get her. I'm not the one her heart desires. You are. I'm happy with being the best friend who she always comes to. I started like that, and I'll end like that. I just want her to be happy. And the only way that will happen will be if you get off your high horse, get on a plane, and go find Cassie!"

"Why should I? She hurt me Chris. Really hurt me. You don't know what I was feeling." Alex glared back.

"No I don't. And I can't even try to imagine what you were feeling. But I do know that you love her. Do you really want to lose her? Do you really want her to be gone forever? Because if you leave this alone and forget about it, you wont see her again. She's gone. Unless you go there sometime soon, she'll be gone forever. It's your decision. Make the right one. Everyone has their future hopes with that girl on you. If you don't get her and bring her home, we lose her forever. Not just you, but all of us. So make the right decision. And do it fast." Chris let out before spinning around and marching out of the room.

"What a bunch of bullshit." Alex rolled his eyes.

Petey narrowed his eyes. "Chris is right Alex. You better figure this out. And quickly. Your about to lose her."

"Oh come on man, you really don't believe him do you?" he raised an eyebrow with a laugh.

"Yeah I do. So stop being an ass and do the right thing for everyone." Petey brushed past him. "Before its too late."

Alex was left there standing, deserted in the locker room. He rolled his eyes and snickered. Those two needed to learn how to lighten up. Its not like Cassie would stay there forever. I mean come on. She loved working for TNA. She wouldn't mess this opportunity up. Would she? She did do the same thing with Ring of Honor though. Could she really do the same thing here? No, she wasn't that stupid. Yet at the back of his mind, Alex somewhat started to believe what Chris had said.

"No." Alex shook his head. "They're just being paranoid."

* * *

"This is the last of it." Low Ki dumped the last box into the living room of the small new house Cassie had just purchased.

Cassie looked around at her home. It seemed lonely and empty. It felt so much more different than her home in Windsor that she shared with Petey. That felt homey and safe. This was anything but. But she couldn't go back there. And she couldn't put Low Ki out and stay with him for the rest of her life. So this change was a must. She had to buy this home.

"Thanks Ki." She shot him a smile.

"How are you doing?" Ki asked as he sat down on the newly bought couch that had already been moved into the living room.

"Truthfully?" she asked, sitting beside him.

"Of course." He smiled.

"Not good." She sighed.

"I figured." He put an arm around her shoulders. "You don't have to stay here. You can always go back."

"No." she shook her head. "I'm here now. I'm not going back. This is my home. No where else."

Ki sighed. "Come on Cassie. You can't let this keep you from everyone back home."

"Yes I can." She stated stubbornly.

"You're always going to love him. Its just going to get worse not seeing him ever again." He reasoned.

"Look Ki, I appreciate that you care, but stay out of my business." She shot at him coldly as she stood up.

Low Ki sighed. "Cassie…"

"Thanks for helping me move in, but you should go. Its getting late." She walked towards the kitchen. "I'll see you at the Zero1 show tomorrow night."

"Come on Cassie." Ki stood and tried to follow her.

"Just go." She turned to him, a pleading tone in her voice.

He looked at her closely before nodding. He knew he couldn't push her into going back home. Or at least he couldn't do it in one night. He was determined he'd get the job done anyways. She didn't belong here. Yes, he loved seeing her, and Japan loved her, but this was only a place for a vacation or the occasional wrestling tour. It was not a home for Cassie. That was in North America, in Orlando and Windsor. Her home was with her friends, not in this Country. And one way or another, he was going to get her to see that.

* * *

**A/N: so i sped time up a bit...and now Alex hates Cassie, and she's never coming back...or will she. will Alex smarten up and go find her...or will Low Ki be able to talk her into going back? hm...what do you guys think?**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven:**

"Are you sure you don't wanna come back with Roderick and me?" Austin asked, leaning against Cassie's Kitchen's counter.

Cassie rolled her eyes and threw him a look. "I'm sure Austin. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"About a million and one." He smirked.

"Well ding ding ding, that's just been done." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Nah, it's only been a hundred and forty seven." He continued to smirk.

"Your so annoying!" she threw her hands up.

"I know." He chuckled.

"Where's Roderick, he's the sane one." She mumbled.

"He's out with Ki and a few others." Austin explained.

"Rhetorical question Austin." She rolled her eyes and walked out into the living room.

"Never really got those." He teased.

"When are you leaving again?"

"Tomorrow night." He answered.

"Not soon enough then." She plopped down onto her couch.

"Hey, that hurts." He mocked.

"Good, it was supposed to." She poked him.

"Now I can see why Alex always complained about you. Your not very nice." He pouted.

At the mention of Alex's name, Cassie turned her head and fell into silence. Austin rolled his eyes and sighed. It had been like this since they came on this tour about a month ago. If someone mentioned Alex, friendship, or anything else that reminded her of her best friend or of that night back in Windsor, she would fall silent, a sad face falling over her.

"You have to get over this Cas." He sighed. "That's why you should go back."

"I'm not going back." She stated.

"This is never going to get better unless you try to make it better." He reasoned.

"I tried that Austin! Two weeks of begging for his forgiveness! It didn't work!" she stood and glared down at him.

Austin stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes things take longer than two weeks to solve."

"Well not this time. This is never going to get better. I'm doing everyone a favor by staying here. No one will have to endear us fighting."

"You're not doing anyone a favor. No one wants to see you stay here. We all want you to come back. I talked with Petey last night. That guy is so miserable because his best friend is never coming home." Austin turned her around.

"I don't care." She crossed her arms stubbornly.

He grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Cassie, you love him right?"

"No…" she grumbled.

"See that's the thing, you do. We all know it. You know it. Do you really want to leave him back there? Alex won't come get you. He's not that kind of person. You know that. Unless u go back, you've lost him."

Cassie's bottom lip quivered, but she held her ground, not wanting to back down out of this.

"I'm not going back." She said again.

"Do you want to lose him?"

"I'm not going back." She repeated quieter.

"Cassie, wake up! Your going to lose the person you love because you're too afraid to face him! That's dumb, and you know it." Austin exclaimed.

"No…" she shook her head.

"You said some hurtful things to him and hurt him more than anyone can imagine. But you can still fix it. You just have to try harder. Running here to Japan, running away from your problems, isn't going to solve anything. It's going to make them worse." He tried to tell her.

"No…" a stray tear fell down her face.

"Cas, your hurting. You're falling apart. So is he. You two need each other. You always did. Ever since you met years back, you've needed each other. Don't lose him now."

"No…I can't. It's done. Just leave me alone." Cassie pushed his hands off her and ran past him and up the stairs.

Austin sighed and watched her descending figure.

"This is never going to work."

* * *

"I wish Cassie was here. She would have been so happy to know that there's a women's title now." Traci frowned and pulled a stray string from her ring attire.

"I know." Petey agreed and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her.

"She would have won it. It's no fair. She's the one who deserves to be the women's champ, not us." Traci sighed.

Petey brought her closer. The two had decided to try their relationship once more. But in the agreement that if Petey ever felt anything towards Cassie, or anyone else in that matter, again, that he and Traci could only be friends. Petey was determined to keep it this time. He loved Traci. He really did. And he wasn't about to lose her. Not again.

"Win it for her babe." Petey told he soothingly.

"I guess." She shrugged. "I miss her. She was the only one I could really talk to."

"I know. Lets just hope that Alex realizes he's being stupid, and goes get her."

"He'll never do that. You know that." Traci looked over at Petey.

"I know. But we have to keep positive." He sighed. "If not, then we're going to have to face the fact that she's gone forever."

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but the women's battle royal is in five minutes." A stagehand stuck their head into the room.

"Alright thanks." Petey told them as they left.

"I can't do this." Traci began to grow nervous.

"Yes you can. Do this for Cas all right? Win it so when she does come back, you two can have one of those amazing feuds again." Petey grabbed her hands and stood her up.

Traci nodded, but found it hard to believe.

"Come on babe. Lets go get you that title."

* * *

"How could Jackie win it!" Petey kicked his locker in Team Canada's locker room.

Scott watched his young student closely. "Gail took Traci out. And Traci brought her with her."

"This is crap! It should be Traci's!" Petey kicked the locker again.

"What's wrong with Jackie having the belt. I think its cool." Alex stated from the doorway. "You wanted to talk with me Scott?"

Petey shot Scott a confused glance before glaring at Alex. "Jackie has no in ring talent. Traci has at least been a champion in other promotions before. What has Jackie done? Bra and panty matches? Oh wow, that's a lot."

"Jackie has talent. Better than Traci anyways…definitely in the looks." He smirked.

Petey went to tackle him to the ground, but Scott stopped him.

"Petey." He gave him a warning look.

"He insulted my girl!" Petey yelled.

"Yeah, but technically, you insulted mine as well."

Petey stopped. His eyes widened as he looked at Alex, who had a large smirk on his face.

"What?'

"You heard me." Alex stated.

"Your girl?"

"Yep." Alex looked mighty proud of himself.

"You're a bastard you know that. Did you hear anything Chris even said earlier?" Petey had the want of ripping Alex apart.

"Yeah I did. But see, I really don't care if she stays in Japan or not. Actually, I'd be happy if she never came back. It would keep my life somewhat normal." Alex turned. "Can we do this another time Scott, I think I'm gonna go celebrate with _my girl_."

"You fucking bastard." Petey seethed.

Alex gave him one last smirk before leaving the room.

"Calm down Petey." Scott tried to calm the young man down.

"That's it. I'm going to kill him." Petey brushed past Scott and left the room.

* * *

"He's with Jackie?" Chris looked at Petey in disbelief.

Petey paced around Chris's locker room. "Yes. The bastard is just pretending like it's not real. I jut want to hit him."

"Your not the only one." Chris sat down on the bench. "I can't believe that ass."

"We have to do something." Petey stated suddenly.

Chris looked at Petey like he was crazy. "And what are we supposed to do. We can't force him to do anything."

"Yes we can. I'm not going to let him ruin this for everyone. I don't want her to be gone. I want her back here. She's our best friend Chris. We lost her once, I'm not about to let her go again!" Petey growled confidently.

Chris nodded. He agreed with Petey. Alex was ruining this not only for himself. But for everyone who cares about Cassie.

"What can we do though?" Chris asked.

Petey sighed and plopped down onto the bench across from Chris. "I have no clue."

"We have to think up something fast. We have a month."

Petey nodded. "Do you think we should get Jimmy involved?"

"I think we need all the help we can get." Chris nodded.

"So everyone? AJ, Daniels, Sonjay?"

Chris grinned. "Call them all. Its about time we got our girl back."

* * *

**A/N: alright so i have the want of hitting Alex again. he's acting like none of this is real, like he can jsut deny his feelings...so, who wants to hit him? or better yet, Castrate him?**

**so whats this plan going to involve? Petey and Chris seem pretty damn determined to bring Cassie back...but will it work?**

**oh and side note, i decided to add a womens title, it'll come more into play at Sacrifice PPV...but ahem...you'll find that out soon enough :D**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight:**

"Are you mad at me?" Cassie looked at Ki from across the table.

"No." he stated simply.

"Well ever since you came over all you've done is thrown me dirty looks." She sighed.

"They aren't dirty looks." He defended.

"Then what are they Ki?" Cassie wanted to know.

Ki set down his fork, not having much of an appetite anymore. He looked closely at Cassie. The past week she had gotten worse. She hardly ate much more than one meal a day, sometimes not even that. It was obvious that she had no sleep, as there were dark bags under her eyes. All Low Ki wanted to do was grab her by the shoulders and shake her back to her senses. She was miserable here. As much as she wanted to try to be happy here in Japan, she missed her friends. And most of all, she missed Alex. It wasn't like last time. This was much different. She had to go back, if not for her emotional well-being, but her health.

"Disappointment." He said.

Cassie raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Disappointment?"

Low Ki nodded as he stood, taking his plate to the kitchen counter. He turned and leant against it then, looking at her sadly.

"I'd like to say I know you pretty well, but this…" he motioned to her. "This isn't who I know. The girl I know wouldn't stay here and let her life be miserable when all she wants is to be with her friends and with the person she loves."

Cassie sighed deeply as she looked down at her half eaten plate of food.

"Cassie, how many times do I have to tell you that you have to go back." He walked over to her and knelt beside her chair.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I can't?" she mumbled.

Ki sighed as he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look down at him. "You're hardly eating, and hardly getting any sleep. That's not healthy. I care about you Cas, I don't want you hurt. You have to go back for your own well being."

"I can't." she whispered.

"Yes you can." He replied in frustration. "Cassie, you can. You're a strong girl. You can do this."

"No I can't. He hates me Ki. I hurt him, enough for Alex to want to kill himself. I can't face him. He hates me." She stated a bit more confidentially.

"And he's miserable without you." Ki told her.

"No he's not." Her expression changed into a dark one. "He's going out with Jackie."

Ki cursed whoever told her of that. "Look, she's the rebound girl. He doesn't love Jackie, he loves you."

"No he doesn't." she crossed her arms, looking back down at her plate.

Ki stood, looking out the back door of the house. This was getting nowhere. At this rate, nothing was going to make Cassie realize she needed to go home.

"What about Chris and Petey and Jimmy? Or Traci? They miss you a lot." Ki reasoned with her.

She shook her head. "They can live without me."

"Yes, but they'd rather live with you than without." Low Ki sighed.

"I don't care. I want this. I don't want to go back." Cassie stood and dumped her plate into the sink.

Ki, frustrated as ever, grabbed her shoulders roughly. "Cassie, for god sakes, listen to yourself. Stop being stubborn for once in your life. You need to go back. Your friend's need you back there. Alex needs you back."

Cassie brushed his hands off her shoulders, sending him a glare. "Stop trying to make me do this Ki. This is it, I'm here now. There's no going back."

"Cassie!" Ki shook his head.

Cassie sent him a startling look before stomping out of the room and up the stairs. Low K couldn't help but kick the wall. This was useless, not to mention frustrating for him. He wanted her to be happy, but that wouldn't happen until she goes back. And that seemed impossible right about now.

As if on cue, the familiar ringing came from Ki's pants pocket. He sighed and dug out the silver phone, checking the caller ID.

Chris Sabin 

Ki raised an eyebrow at the unexpected caller but opened his phone nonetheless.

"Sabin." Ki greeted.

"Ki." Chris said. "How's Japan."

"Frustrating." Ki looked towards the exit of the room while running a hand over his head.

"Cassie then." Chris chuckled. "Still being stubborn as ever?"

"You don't even know." Ki sighed and sat in his previous seat. "So what's going on?"

"Well…Petey and I were thinking for the past week, and finally came up with a plan to hopefully get Cassie back home." Chris said.

Ki raised an eyebrow in interest. "Really?"

"Yep." Chris replied. "But we need your help."

"Lay it on me. I want her to go home as much as you guys do. You should see her." Ki paused. "But anyways, what's this idea entitle."

"What's wrong with her?" Chris asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Don't worry about it Chris." Ki kicked himself for bringing it up in the first place.

"No it has to be something or else you wouldn't have brought it up. Is she alright?" Chris asked again.

"She just hasn't been herself. Hardly eating anything, not getting much sleep, the such. Truthfully, if she doesn't go back soon, her health is going to decrease largely." Ki informed.

"Fuck." Chris muttered.

"Look, just let me in on the plan. We might as well get this started as soon as possible." Ki stated.

"I agree. Alright, so we're thinking that…"

* * *

"Go away Ki. I don't want to talk to you." Cassie growled as Ki knocked repeatedly on her bedroom door about an hour later.

"Cassie, I need to talk to you."

"I'm not going back. So just leave me alone." She sighed.

"This isn't about that. This is about Chris, Petey, and Jimmy." Ki stated through the door.

"I know I know, I should go back for them. Well too bad." She grumbled.

"They were in a car accident Cassie."

Cassie's body shot up off the bed. Blood draining from her face, she opened the door.

"What? Are they okay?" she asked quickly.

Ki looked down. "AJ just called me from the hospital. It doesn't look good."

"What happened?" Cassie asked in a small voice.

"They were driving back to Petey's house after a BCW show, and a car struck theirs." He informed her.

"Oh my god." She gaped.

"Is it time to go back yet?" Ki looked at her seriously. "Because if you say no, you're pretty damn cruel hearted.

She shook her head furiously, tears stinging her eyes. "I-I…I need to pack…or should I just go…but what if there's no flight…maybe we should call the airport…but…"

Ki raised an eyebrow at her, not expecting her to ramble. "Cassie, calm down."

"I can't calm down. My three best friends could die…oh god…what if there are no flights out until like next month? That wont be god…oh god."

"Cassie!" Ki grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Calm down Hun."

"But…but…" a few tears escaped her eyes.

Ki felt sorry for her as he wiped the tears away. "Come on, don't cry alright Hun? AJ already booked you and me a flight for early tomorrow morning to Detroit. We can go to the airport now if you want."

She nodded. "O-okay."

"It'll be alright Cas." He brought her closer for an embrace.

Cassie clung to him tightly. "I hope they're okay." She whispered.

"They will be. They're strong guys." Ki assured her before pulling apart. "Go clean yourself up and meet me downstairs in ten minutes alright?"

Cassie nodded before turning towards the bathroom. Once she was in the room, door locked and all, Ki fished out his Cell phone. He turned and began his trek down the stairs as he called the familiar number.

"We're on our way there." Ki smirked.

* * *

**A/N: wooo...so, hm, i'm thinking those guys were a bit devious there with that...but what a plan lol. alright, so i may be talking crazy talk, but you'll see in the next chapter if you don't already get it.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty-Nine:**

"Where are they?" Cassie asked, referring to the two who were supposed to pick them up from the Windsor Airport.

Low Ki reframed from laughing out loud. "They'll be here, don't worry."

"How can I not worry!" she turned on him. "I need to see them…oh…but what if…" fragments from her last tear shed peered through her eyes.

"Stop with that what if's Cas." Ki sighed, feeling a touch guilty about following in on this plan. He could tell just how much of this was hurting the younger woman.

"But…"

"Cas." Ki took her by the arms. "They're going to be fine."

Her eyes watered with tears. "But what if something happens to them. I wont even get to say goodbye."

Ki closed his eyes. The effects of this plan was finally weighing in. he hated making her worry like this. But if it brought her home, he supposed it wasn't for no reason.

"Hey you two! Over here!" AJ's voice called from a little ways behind them.

Cassie immediately turned and glared at AJ and Chris.

"Where the hell have you two been?" she demanded.

"Ah…" AJ sent a side-glance at Daniels. "Walking?"

Cassie punched him in the arm before looking around the parked cars around the building. "Which one is yours?"

"That one." AJ pointed to one about a mid way through the parking lot.

Cassie looked to where he was pointing. Her face immediately grew pale before anger swept over her.

"WHAT THE HELL!" she yelled.

"Apparently seeing the guys isn't a happy thing." AJ muttered to Daniels.

Cassie turned on them.

"This was all a lie?"

The three looked down, not able to take the intense glare.

"I can't believe you all." She pointed back at the supposed car, which had Chris, Petey, and Jimmy surrounding it.

Ki scratched the back of his head. "We uh…"

He was interrupted though, by a very loud snap. He winced as he rubbed his cheek, where he has an idea held a nice red handprint from her.

"Look Cas…"

"I can't believe you! You don't just go around saying things like that! I thought they were going to die! For god sakes!" she screamed at him.

Ki cringed at the scream, but cringed even louder as she threw another slap at him. Before she could do another jaw splitting hit though, Daniels grabbed her around the waist and drew her back from Ki.

"Let me go." She growled.

"No can do Cas." Daniels stated.

"Let me go." She repeated, a stray tear staining he cheek.

"Let her go Chris." Low Ki nodded softly.

Daniels raised an eyebrow, but at an insistent nod, he reluctantly let her go. Cassie immediately slapped Ki again, hitting the same target as previous. But at the second go, Ki caught her wrist, forcing her closer to him. She tried to get away, but failed miserably as Ki's arm wrapped around her petite waist, holding her directly in place. Instead, she fell to just pounding on his chest with her fists, yet causing no pain on the much stronger man. Eventually, Cassie wore down, leaving her emotionally drained.

"I'm sorry Cas." He whispered as he wrapped his other arm around her. "They needed you back. This was the only way."

"You made me think they were going to die…that's not right." She looked up at him with sad eyes.

"I know." He sighed. "But you were acting stubborn. This was the only way."

"No, you could have thought of something else." Her stare turned hard.

"Look, what's done is done. Don't you at least want to see them?" he asked, lifting her chin.

Cassie shook her head furiously. "Hell no. I wanna go home. Japan. That's my home now, not here. I hate it here."

"No, you just hate the person who lives here. You have to face Alex some time. You love him, he loves…"

"Don't." she growled through gritted teeth. "Don't say that. He doesn't love me."

"Yes he does." He insisted.

"No he doesn't. If he did, he would have accepted my apologies, he wouldn't be with Jackie right now."

"And like I said before, he loves you. You just don't get over someone who you love as much as he loved you." Ki told her.

"Well apparently he did." She mumbled. "I want to go home. Japan Ki. This isn't my home anymore."

"Can't you at least see those three? They've been miserable without you?" AJ piped up.

"No." she shook her head. "Now either let me go or I'll hit you again."

Ki looked over at AJ and Daniels before sighing and nodding. "Fine."

"Fine?" AJ looked confused. "But…"

"AJ, take her to get a returning ticket, and then take her to her gate." Ki gave him a reassuring look.

"But…"

"Just go."

"Fine." AJ sighed and looked at Cassie. "Ready?"

She nodded, walking ahead of him and back into the airport.

"What are you doing?" Daniels asked.

"Figuring something out quickly. We can't force this on her, and we never should have used that as a way to bring her back." Low Ki answered, beginning the short walk towards the car.

Daniels raised an eyebrow before catching up. "So you're just going to let her leave?"

"No." Ki shook his head. "We just have to get someone here."

"What do you mean?" Daniels questioned.

Ki sent him a small smirk before they reached the three men who held confusion on their faces.

"What happened?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, why did she go back in there?" Jimmy pointed at the airport.

"Change in plans." Ki stated.

"Change in plans?" Petey raised an eyebrow.

"We need Alex here."

"What?" the three asked in ludicrous.

Ki sighed. "She wont, no, she can't, handle this. We should have thought this through more. What was it, only a few months ago that we thought Alex could die? We shouldn't have brought up that you three were in a car accident. That's brought up to many memories for her."

"So we get Alex here? That doesn't make sense." Jimmy ran a hand through his hair.

"You guys were originally thinking that he would be the only one to keep her here. So why not follow through with that."

"But how are we going to get him here?" Chris asked.

"You'll figure something out."

"Sure I have to do everything." Chris mumbled.

"Yep." Petey nodded. "But where is she?"

"Getting a 'return' ticket back to Japan." Daniels answered.

"Good, then she wont be going anywhere for a bit." Petey grinned.

"How do you figure that one?" Jimmy asked, watching as Chris walked off with his phone.

"There isn't any return trips until Friday, I already looked."

"So she's stuck here for almost a whole week!" Jimmy jumped. "Aha! We so rock."

Petey raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and rolled his eyes. "Anyways, so you say she's in there?"

"Yeah…" Ki looked at him oddly. "Why?"

Petey jumped off the hood of the car. "Because I'm gonna go see her."

"I'm not sure if that would be a wise thing." Ki said.

"Too bad. I haven't seen that girl in a bit. Its like Candy, you want it so badly, you just have to risk the stomach ache afterwards."

"Leave it to you to use Candy as an analogy." Chris rolled his eyes and walked back over.

"So what did he say?" Daniels asked, eying the younger man.

"He'll be here. Made up the excuse that Jimmy was seeing Lacey off for some random tour, and then we were all gonna meet him here and hang." Chris shrugged.

"You never were good at coming up with cool lies." Petey shook his head.

Chris whacked him over the head. "Not nice."

"Its true though." He stated.

"Can I be the one going to Japan, I need a vacation from these people." Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of which, I was going to see Cas wasn't I?"

"Hey, if you're going to see her, I am too." Chris said.

"Well then I wanna go." Jimmy pouted. "I don't wanna be alone.

Ki sighed. "I really don't think you guys should see her. She's pretty angry."

"Tough." Chris brushed past him.

The other two exchanged looks before nodding and followed their Detroit native friend. Low Ki just turned slowly and watched as they descended towards the building. He had a rough idea that this wasn't going to turn out well.

* * *

**A/N: finally got this upated. i actually had the chapter done, but i never got around to uploading it. well here it is.**

**I suppose Cassie's reaction was due to happen. i mean, i'd react in the same way if it were me...but now two huge questions...**

**what's going to happen when Cassie see's the three**

**and ultimately...**

**whats going to happen when Cassie and Alex meet up once again?**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty:**

"Do you see her?" Petey tried looking over the crowds of people in the airport, but failed miserably.

"Don't even try Petey, you're too short." Chris rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." He glared at him before spotting the familiar figure. "There she is!"

Jimmy raised an eyebrow as he followed Petey's outstretched hand. A grin erupted on his face as he indeed caught sight of Cassie arguing with AJ. He took a small glance at Chris and Petey before taking off towards the girl. Chris and Petey broke out in immediate laughter as Jimmy crashed into Cassie, sending them both to the ground.

"What the hell!" Cassie exclaimed, trying to push the lug of a man off of her. "Get the hell off of me Jimmy!"

"Nah, don't think I will." He smirked down at her.

"I swear to god I will knee you in the crotch." She warned with a glare.

After a moment of thinking, Jimmy jumped up, not wanting to feel the pain he knew would be coming if he hadn't. Cassie rolled her eyes as she brushed his outstretched hand away and stood up on her own. She soon groaned though as she caught site of Petey and Chris walking towards them. She didn't want to see them. After what they did to her, she never wanted to see them, or talk to them again.

"Cas!" Petey grinned as they reached her.

"Fuck off." She glared.

His grin faltered as she turned and began to storm off in the opposite direction. Before she could get far though, Chris jogged up to her, and grabbed her by the waist.

"Come on, you can't stay mad at us forever." He told her, keeping his hold around her as she struggled.

"Oh I think I can." She stepped down onto Chris foot, making him release his hold.

"Cas, come on, just hear us out." Jimmy gave her a pleading look.

"No." she shook her head.

"We do deserve the chance to just talk to you." Petey piped up.

"Really? Because lying to me really makes you deserve anything." She rolled her eyes.

"It was the only way to get you back." Chris sighed.

"You could have thought of something else. How would you like it if I came around and told you your three best friends were in a car accident and weren't doing well? I really thought you guys were hurt. I was freaking out. And then I come here and its all a fucking lie." A stray tear fell down her cheek.

"We're sorry." Petey took a step forward. "But we missed you. It's hard not seeing you everyday. We just got you back, and now we're loosing you again. We can't handle that."

"Well you could have thought of a different way." She looked down, the anger starting to slip as the hurt became more prominent.

"Look Cas, we're sorry." Petey lifted her chin softly, noticing the tears in her eyes. It nearly broke his heart that he was one of the ones who created them. "We just really missed you. We wanted to see you so much."

"You hurt me. You lied to me. And with the worse possible lie." She looked away from him.

"I know. We're sorry. Really really sorry." He pleaded with her.

"Leave me alone."

"Cas please, we just wanna talk. You can't go anywhere until Friday anyways. So why not just come home and…" Petey offered.

"Japan is my home. Why cant everyone just accept that!"

"Because we don't want to lose you." Petey stepped forward, now only inches away from her. "Your our best friend. We don't want to lose you again. I can't handle not seeing you every day, hearing you laugh, helping you to make fun of Chris. I love spending time with you. You're probably the best thing that ever happened to my life. I don't know what I'll do without you."

Cassie's bottom lip began to tremble, wishing he would stop talking. She knew that if he continued, she'd start to break down.

"I don't care what Alex thinks about you. The guy is a bastard. I just want you back in my life. I know your hurt, and I know that your sorry about what you did, but right now, I don't care. I'm being selfish, I want you back for me. I need you back. I love you, you're my best friend." Petey cupped her cheek, once again making her look at him. "Please?"

"I-I cant." She whispered.

"Yes you can. Screw Alex. I know you love the guy. But if he's going to be a jackass, then he's not worth it. Please. I miss you Cas. I hate going home and knowing your not there. I hate coming down in the morning and not seeing you sit at the table, orange juice in hand. I hate not being able to hug you, or tell you good night, or to just say hi. I miss having you around to talk to. You always listened to me. You let me tell you anything, no matter how stupid it was, and you never held it against me. You just listen and give me advice. I miss that. I want that back. Please."

Cassie closed her eyes tightly, trying to forget about that look in Petey's eyes. She couldn't come back. It was too hard.

"Please Cassie." He pleaded, a rare tear falling down his face.

She opened her eyes, and when she saw the tear, she broke down. She couldn't take seeing her friend sad. So she cracked. Every last emotion in her flooded out. Everything she was feeling, every last tear, she cried. And Petey just held her tightly, letting her cry into his chest. The others around them just watched on, hoping that maybe now Cassie would finally come back.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Everyone cringed as the angry voice of Alex reached them. Cassie immediately stopped her sobbing and as well her breathing and looked up at Petey with wide eyes. Petey sent her an apologetic look before glancing over her shoulder at the man he used to consider one of his closest friends.

"You fucking tricked me." Alex seethed, glaring at the back of Cassie, who was in Petey's arms. "I can't believe you guys tricked me into coming here to see her."

"Calm down dude." Jimmy tried to approach him.

Alex, snapping as he of course would, threw a punch at him, knocking Jimmy down.

"Alex, calm down." Chris glared at him, helping jimmy up, who looked ready to kill Alex.

"Fuck you. You fucking lied to me. I'm allowed to get angry." Alex stepped closer to Chris, getting in his face.

Chris, not one to back down, pushed Alex. "You don't have to punch your own friend."

"I can do whatever the hell I want." Alex pushed Chris back.

Chris narrowed his eyes. "No you really cant."

"Fuck off Chris. Before I do something I'll probably regret." Alex warned.

"What, hit me? Go ahead, I'll just hit you right back. And looking at the statistics, I can surely say, I'll kick your ass." Chris countered.

Fire blazed in Alex's eyes as he clenched his fists. He would have punched the man in front of him, but before he could, he was being speared to the ground by Chris, knocking the wind out of him. He was slightly put off that he started it, as that wasn't the kind of person Chris was. But he soon wiped away the surprise and shot offence punches at him, knocking Chris away.

"Guys, stop it." AJ looked at the two worriedly. "We're going to get kicked out of the airport soon. We are in public."

"Fuck…off…Styles." Alex said through clenched teeth as he breathed heavily, just watching as Chris regained his composure.

Once he did, Alex shot at him, knocking both of them back down to the ground.

"This is why I didn't want to come back." Cassie whispered, turning her head away from the fight.

Petey looked down at her sadly, softly standing back from her. She looked at him confused as he, clenching his fists, stomped over to the two fighting on the ground, and preceded to try to break them apart. But of course, not just one man could do the deed. That was when Low Ki, as well as Daniels came in a helped him out. Between them all, they were able to finally grab the two apart, Petey and Jimmy holding on to Chris, while Daniels and Ki held Alex back. AJ meanwhile, held a trembling Cassie a she tried to wish this all away.

"Is there a problem here?" a security guard walked over, frowning at them all.

"No sir, just a small argument that we resolved." Petey stated, looking between the two angrily.

"Good. But if you could take this elsewhere, there are people here trying to go about their business, as well as kids."

"We were just going." AJ nodded, slightly pushing Cassie towards the exit.

He sent a small look at Petey who nodded and started to pull Chris towards the exit as well. Ki and Daniels meanwhile just continued to hold Alex back, as he continued to struggle, wanting to attack Chris once more. Once outside though, the two let the angry pent up man go, letting him storm off to the car on his own. Petey sighed as he saw this. None of that was supposed to happen. But he supposed not everything could turn out happy. Today certainly didn't.

"This is why I wanted to stay in Japan." Cassie said again, watching as Chris hit his car with a fist.

Petey, feeling as if this was all his fault, came up from behind and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go home."

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"Ugh, what's all the racket?" Petey stumbled down the stairs the next morning, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Sorry." Cassie mumbled.

Petey raising an eyebrow as AJ began to laugh.

"What are you doing in my kitchen at 8 am?" he asked confused.

"Was in the neighborhood." AJ shrugged with a grin. "Love the boxers dude. Didn't know you were a fan of barney."

Cassie, hearing the boxer part, snapped her head over to Petey. As soon as her eyes settled on the boxers, she broke out in laughter, sending AJ into a bigger fit.

"Shut up." Petey blushed while glaring at them. "Cassie got them for me."

"As a joke." She wiped away a tear that had sprung to her eyes from laughing so hard. "I didn't think you actually would wear them."

"Yeah well…shut up." He grumbled, crossing his arms across his bare chest.

"Aww, is poor Petey upset?" AJ patted him on the shoulder as he sat down beside him at the kitchen table.

"Fuck off." Petey glared at him.

This just drove AJ into another fit of laughter.

"I'm glad your happy." He grumbled. "Because I'm not. I was woken up, and now I'm getting made fun of. Nice people you are."

Cassie smiled. She missed this, she admitted that. She missed just spending time with friends, joking around. And just like Petey had missed her, she had missed Petey. She missed these moments. And she was glad she had them back. Even if it did mean she would have to face Alex at work now.

"Its nice to see you smiling though." Petey stated, his glare beginning to leave his face.

Cassie blushed slightly as she turned back to the stove where she was burning what was supposed to be breakfast. She frowned as she saw the laying bacon, burning to a charred crisp. She never was the greatest cook. Toast and cereal she was good at, anything else, she let someone else do. Though she did have to admit, she made a mean grilled cheese.

"Ew, what's that smell." AJ, finally ceasing his laughter, looked around with a scrunched up nose

"I never said I was good at cooking." Cassie sighed while taking the frying pan off the burner and dumping out the burned bacon.

"Well you said you could cook, when I'm hungry, I don't go into details." AJ defended.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I said I could cook, you just never heard the part about it only being toast."

"And grilled cheese." Petey piped up. "That girl can make a mean grilled cheese."

"Really?" AJ raised an eyebrow. "Lets see then."

Cassie shook her head. "Nope sorry, I only serve that specialty after 11, and the clock reads 8:20 am. Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Come on please?" AJ asked.

"Nope. Let Petey cook you breakfast. I do lunch." She patted him on the shoulder as she passed him while walking into the living room.

"But he'll poison me!" AJ exclaimed.

"Hey!" Petey pushed him.

"What, its true!" AJ pushed him back with a grin.

Cassie rolled her eyes as the two began a pushing war. She just simply walked into the living room, and plopped down on the couch in front of the TV, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. She then searched beside her until she caught onto the familiar controller. Seconds later, she was flipping around the many channels, trying to find something worthy of watching. She couldn't help but chuckle though as she heard a large crash behind her, and two moans. She just rolled her eyes and focused back on the channel she had fallen on. When she saw what was on though, and more importantly, who was on the screen, she paled considerably. There was Alex, begging the Ring Of Honor locker room for forgiveness. An old ring of honor show Cassie figured. But that didn't matter to her. It was the fact that he was on the screen. Just seeing him through the television, it made her heart ache to a large extent. Cassie couldn't help the tears that and sprung to her eyes, thinking about everything that had happened between them.

"Hey, why so quiet Cas?" Petey asked, picking himself off of the cold floor and making his way into the living room.

When he checked the TV though, he instantly saw what was wrong. He glanced down at Tess on the couch, and saw a small tear fall from her perfectly shaped eye.

"Cassie? Are you okay?" he slid onto the couch beside her.

Seeing her stare transfixed at the TV, it was clear that she was not okay. In fact, she looked, if possible, sadder than the day previous. And that was a sadness hard to beat.

"Cas, please don't cry." Petey wiped away the next few tears staining her cheek.

But at seeing the tears become steadier, he quickly wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Cassie meanwhile, latched onto him, not wanting to let him go. Because if she did, she was afraid that she would too, lose him as well.

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**A/N: another chapter, finally. got a new idea actually...one thats gonna make you yet again guess...quite a bit of fun, for me anyways, it'll probably drive you all insane. but seeing as you've stuck with the story this long, i suppose you can handle it...but i'll tell you more about this a bit later on...for now, lets talk about the chapter you just read,**

**pretty sad. at least i thought so. Petey's really stepping up and trying to get her back. hopefully she's back for good now. hm...but i wonder...could any of Petey's past feelings possibly be behind him wanting her back so much? or is it just pure friendship...iunno...well i do, but i cant tell ya that lol.**

**is it just me, or does Alex become more of a bastard in ever chapter? lol, yes i want that to happen...why? well, you'll just have to wait and see...don't worry, i'm sure i'll make you like him...i almost did once before remember? okay, so almost killing him wasn't nice...but it did change some hearts...**

**but anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. stay tuned for more...and believe me, your not gonna wanna miss a single moment. **


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One:**

"Cas?" Petey knocked on her bedroom door softly before opening it. "Are you okay? I heard you crying."

A sniff protruding from the bed told Petey that he clearly hadn't been hearing thing while heading towards his bedroom later that night. He sighed as he walked over to her bed, and sat down beside her lying figure. He softly patted her shoulder as her back was to him.

"whets wrong?" he asked, though he already had a feeling what it was about.

"Nothing." Cassie mumbled into her pillow.

"If it's nothing than why are you crying?" Petey rubbed her back soothingly. "Come on sweetie, tell me what's wrong."

"I-I had a dream." She stated.

"And?" he encouraged her to continue.

Cassie sighed and turned in the bed, so she was looking up at Petey. But after a moment of seeing the look he was giving her, she moved her glance to the ceiling, trying to avert her attention back to the hurt she was feeling.

"I was at a ring of honor show…and they put me into a tag match with…A-Alex…and we were facing the Rottweilers…and…" she stopped, wiping away a tear. "And we won by disqualification because Homicide hit me with a chair. But then after the match, Homicide and Rocky continued to throw chair shots at me…and…" this was where she chocked up.

Petey frowned and wiped away new tears. "Take your time Hun."

Cassie nodded. "Before I woke up…I looked over at Alex, and…he-he just had the…dirtiest look on his face as he watched me get my ass kicked…he didn't care…he-he just watched and smirked…its like I…like we never were friends…he just let me get hurt."

"Sweetie." He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face once she finished. "It was only a dream. Alex would never do that. Even if it were a storyline, he would refuse to do it. He may act like an asshole now. But some part of him still cares for you. He still loves you. You're still his best friend. He wouldn't let you get hurt like that."

"But…" her bottom lip quivered.

"It was just a dream. He would never, and I repeat, never, let anyone hurt you. Why do you think he was all jealous about you and Chris starting to go out at first? He didn't know he loved you then. He just wanted to protect you because he didn't want to see you get hurt." Petey assured her, hating the look of despair on her face.

"But…"

"Cas, go back to sleep alright sweetie. You need the rest. A lot has happened lately, and I know you didn't sleep last night. I heard you watching TV downstairs. It was just a dream. It wasn't real. Because in reality, Alex would never do that. I know you think he might, but he wouldn't. Just get some rest Hun." He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

Cassie looked at him now, sensing the worry omitting off of him. "Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't. I was just going to bed anyways." He shrugged with a small smile.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"3." He replied.

"Why are you up so late?" she wanted to know.

"Was thinking." He shrugged his shoulders. "But lets not worry about that alright? Just go back to sleep."

"I-I don't think I can." She mumbled, looking away again.

"You just have to relax and calm down. Your nerves are shot up." Petey told her.

She shook her head. "But I've been awake for an hour now."

"An hour? Why didn't you come get me? Usually you come into my room when you have a nightmare. I used to make fun of you when you did it." he laughed slightly, remember the past. "You should have gotten me."

"I didn't want to bother you." She stated.

"Hun, you can never bother me." He cupped her cheek. "Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

"Could you?" she looked up at him with sad round eyes.

Petey nodded. "Of course. Scoot over a bit."

A small smile fell over her as she moved her body over, allowing room for Petey to lie down. Petey, completely forgetting his relationship with Traci, and how wrong this would look if she saw them, smiled and slid into the bed and wrapped an arm around Cassie.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"For what?" he asked, taking his hair out of the ponytail it had been earlier.

"Just being." She replied, turning on her side towards him and snuggling up next to him.

Petey smiled at this and brought her closer. Although he made a pact that he wouldn't love her again, as he was with Traci, Petey just couldn't help but feel those familiar sparks as her body was up against his. He wished he didn't, because he really didn't want to start any more drama within the group. But a small part of him was indeed happy that she was back. And not just in a friend sort of way. He was honest when he said he missed her. But he was also telling the truth when he said he loved her. Yes, they believed it in the friend way, but he knew it wasn't. He knew it was much more than a friendship that was brewing here. Or at least, he wished it to be.

"Petey?"

"Yeah Hun?"

"Do you think Alex will ever forgive me?" she asked in a soft voice.

"He will. He just needs time. You know him, he's stubborn." Petey answered, assuring her.

"I guess. I just hope he does soon. I miss him." She frowned.

"I know you do. We all miss the old Alex." Petey agreed. "But just give the guy time. That's all he wants."

"I guess your right." She yawned.

"Tired?' Petey smirked.

"No." she challenged, yet found her eyes drooping all the same.

"I think someone is." Petey poked her softly in the side.

"Shut up." She mumbled before snuggling even closer to him, trying to feel his warmth.

Petey gladly accepted this, and held her tighter.

"Night Petey."

"Night sweetie. Sleep tight." He smiled.

"You too." She yawned once more before falling silent.

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"So how's Alex doing?" Petey asked.

Austin looked at Roderick and sighed. "Not the best. Angry as ever."

"We should have expected that." Chris nodded. "Knowing Alex, he'll be mad for awhile."

"Don't we know it? It's a pain to work with." Roderick rolled his eyes. "How's Cassie doing?"

"Completely sad." Petey frowned. "I hate seeing her like this. It makes me feel completely helpless. No matter what I say or do, she's still sad."

"She just wants her best friend." Austin figured. "I know you two are close, but I think she just needs Alex."

"Yeah." Petey agreed. "I wish that guy would quit being so stubborn."

"You know it'll never happen." Chris sighed.

"I know." Petey mumbled before thinking up an idea. "Hey, Alex is going to be at the ROH show Thursday right?"

"Yeah, or at least, he's scheduled to." Roderick nodded. "Why?"

Petey grinned. "I think I may just have an idea."

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"How'd you get me booked here on short notice anyways Petey?" Cassie came out of the bathroom in a spare locker room, clad in her ring attire.

Petey shrugged. "Jim Cornette heard that you were back and wanted you on the roster again."

"That's cool I guess." She dumped her clothes down onto a bench. "So any clue of what I'm doing?"

"Nope. Sorry. I just got you booked. I don't have power to find out everything." He smiled. "But I think it has something to do with Generation Next."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Now I know you had something to do with this."

Petey raised his hands in defense. "I did nothing."

"In what way am I going to be involved?"

"Like I said, I don't know." He insisted.

Cassie put her hands on her hips. "Petey."

"Hey, come on, I'm just trying to help." He grinned. "But I gotta run. The shows about to start, and I got a front row seat. Go see Austin or Roderick, I'm sure they can tell ya everything."

And before she could object, Petey dashed out of the room with a smirk.

"Bloody man. Drives me insane I swear." Cassie mumbled, shaking her head at his antics. "But guess I have to go find those guys to figure everything out. Lucky me."

Cassie sighed as she left the room, hoping with all her might that she never ran into Alex, as she knew she could possibly do. She couldn't handle having Alex yell at her again, it would surely blow her over the edge. So she had to be extra careful. Though, somehow, through all this carefulness, she still ended up bumping into someone.

"Oh sorry…I wasn't watching where I was going." Cassie blushed.

"Well next time, pay attention." The oddly familiar voice sneered.

Cassie looked up and frowned as she saw Jimmy Rave. She remembered him from the last time she was in Ring Of Honor. Sure it was a short time, but even in a short amount of time, she had gained a few enemies, and Rave, as well as the rest of the Embassy, was definitely one of them.

"Well, well, if it isn't Ms. Cassie Collins. Back for more I see." Rave smirked as he saw who had bumped into him. "Surprised you're here actually. Heard you had a nasty little fight with Alex. He isn't too thrilled with you at the moment. Surprised you actually had the guts to show up."

Cassie narrowed her eyes at him. "You haven't changed a bit."

"Why would I change? I'm perfect the way I am." Rave chuckled.

"Still cocky." She rolled her eyes. "Which doesn't flatter you."

"Well nothings changed with you, still don't know how to act towards those superior to you."

"You superior to me?" Cassie laughed. "That's funny Rave. You should have become a comedian. You're a natural."

"Oh, you'll find out one day why I'm better than you. But for now, we can just let actions speak louder than words." Rave looked behind her with a smirk. "You remember John Walters right?"

Cassie glanced behind her and paled slightly as she saw Walters walking up behind her, trapping her between the two men. She silently cursed Petey, as if he just told her of everything that was going on, she wouldn't of had to leave the room, and end up in this mess.

"Still traveling in groups I see." Cassie tried to swallow down the nervous feeling her body was beginning to feel.

"Two is always better than one." Jimmy shrugged, smirk still plastered on his face before he caught site of someone else. "But then again, three is even better."

"Hey guys, what's going on? Nana is looking for you two." Alex's voice traveled down the hall behind Cassie and Walters.

Cassie's eyes widened in horror as he began to come closer, still not realizing she was there.

"Oh nothing. We just ran into an old friend. Actually, you know her pretty well." Jimmy's smirk grew as he nodded at Walters, who stepped aside.

Alex's face paled as he saw the familiar figure in front of him.

"Cassie."

"Why don't you turn around and say hi to your friend." Jimmy forced her to turn around.

Cassie starred at him, as his face changed from confusion, to hurt, to just plain anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

She ducked her head down, not wanting to see the anger in his eyes.

"Can't you get it through your head that I'm not going to forgive you?" he took a step forward. "The least you could do is look at me."

Cassie, still afraid, remained looking down. Alex though was as angry as every, making him stomp over and grab her chin sharply. He raised her head, forcing her to look at him.

"So tell me, what are you doing here? Trying to ruin my life even more?" he growled.

Cassie's body shook as she tried to answer, but found she had no voice.

"Oh come on Cas, you've never been one to be silent. You always have something to say." He pushed. "Why are you here?"

"I-I…" she tried to say.

"Spit it out." He held onto her chin tighter. "Oh come on Cas, talk. Or do you just not talk when you have nothing to say that will hurt someone. Cuz we all know your good at that. Isn't that right? Or do you have something to say? Wanna tell me that you hate me? That you wish I died before? That you wish we never met? Because if you want to say that, go ahead, I've already heard it. I can take it this time. No mental breakdowns now. No, I already cut myself because of you. What's left?"

Her bottom lip began to tremble as the impact of his words hit her.

"Gonna cry now Cas? You always seemed to be a crier." He smirked.

"That was a bit uncalled for Alex."

Alex looked up surprised and turned around as he caught site of Jimmy and BJ Whitmer. His face immediately hardened as he let Cassie go.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my business Jimmy." He glared at him.

Jimmy looked behind him at Cassie. "Sorry pal, she's my business."

Alex rolled his eyes before he grabbed Cassie by the shoulders and pushed her towards the two.

"Fine, take her. I don't want to see her anyways." He shrugged before pushing past Rave and storming down the hall.

Rave and Walters sent glares at the two men before following behind Alex.

"You okay?" Jimmy looked down at Cassie worriedly.

"F-fine." She answered, wiping away a stray tear. "Just fine."

Jimmy frowned, now believing her. "You sure Cas?"

"Yeah." She nodded before looking beside him. "BJ, haven't seen you in quite a bit."

BJ smiled. "Nice to see you too."

"Where's Petey? I thought he was with you?" Jimmy asked.

"He went of to his seat for the show and left me to find Austin and Roderick on my own." She scowled.

"Oh right, cuz your gonna be working with them." Jimmy nodded in understanding.

"Well nice to know everyone but me knows." She folded her arms in a huff.

"Well if you went and found Austin and Roderick instead of getting into trouble, then you'd know." Jimmy smirked.

"Not cool." She stuck out her tongue at him. "Can you at least tell me where they are?"

"Go down the hall, you can't miss them, they're the door with the big 'G' 'N' night on it." BJ pointed.

"Thanks." She shot a small smile at him.

"Just be careful." Jimmy laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I will. And thanks."

"No problem Hun. Now we better go. We're the first match tonight. Yayness, time to kick but." A goofy grin fell over his face as he began to get hyper.

Cassie rolled his eyes. "Good luck. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Then what does that leave?" Jimmy thought.

"Ha ha. Just go." She pushed him slightly.

"Meanie. But see you later anyways. Have fun Cas." He waved at her as BJ pushed him down the hall in the opposite direction.

Cassie chuckled and shook her head before turning back around and looking down the deserted hallway. Seeing no one to cause trouble. She slowly made her way towards the door she now saw as theirs. She was about to knock when she heard an all too familiar voice. Jack Evans. She had almost forgotten that Jack was in this group. She groaned as she decided what to do. She could either go in there, have to see the man who broke her heart, and deal with it, or she could stay out in the hall, knowing absolutely nothing of what was going to happen tonight. Although she opted for the latter choice, she knew she had to go in there. So without further ado, she softly knocked on the door. Seconds later, footsteps were heard, and the door was swung open to reveal a grinning Roderick.

"Hey Cassie." He greeted. "Wondering when you were gonna show up."

"Sorry. Had a little run in with some not favorite people." She frowned. "I forgot Jimmy Rave was an ass."

"Join the club." Roderick gave her a sympathetic smile. "But come in, should get used to your new locker room."

"New locker room?" she looked at him confused.

He grinned. "Welcome to Generation Next."

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**A/N: okay so this is a TNA story that takes place somwhat in ROH, its allowed :P lol. no but really, it'll go back to TNA soon. actually pretty soon. anyways though, so Petey is feeling those feelings towards Cas again...wonder what will happen now with Traci tho...?**

**And now whats gonna happen with Cassie being in generation next, with their feud against the embassy, the group alex is in? how the hell did petey figure this to be a good idea? all in due time...well, actually, next chapter probably lol. hope you enjoyed, gotta go do some more writing for all of you, so, until next time. **


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two:**

"What do you mean welcome to Generation Next?" Cassie looked at him with wide eyes.

Roderick grin never faltered. "Well you just so happen to be the fifth member of this lovable team."

"Wait…so let me get this straight. I'm in Generation Next." She tasted the words, trying to get a feel for it. "I'm sorry…but I'm completely lost."

"Well at the current moment your standing outside GN's locker room." Roderick chuckled. "Speaking of which, you might as well come in, this is technically your locker room too."

She just starred at him, not moving. She just couldn't process the idea fully. Why was she put into generation Next? What was Petey's reasoning behind it? She knew he did this, but why? What was so big that they had to have her in this group?

"Cas?" Roderick waved a hand in front of her unmoving face. "Ya in there?"

"Oh." She shook her thoughts away. "Sorry yeah."

"You okay?" he frowned.

"Just trying to figure out what Petey's trying to do." She as well frowned. "I know he did this."

"You'll find out soon enough." He assured her. "So, want to come in."

Cassie bit her lip, contemplating her answer. But before she could fully activate her answer, the man she did not want to see, stepped towards the door.

"Hey Roderick, watcha doing anyways…kinda taking a long time…who ya talking to?" Jack's voice came from behind the semi-closed door.

Cassie's face immediately paled, wishing he wouldn't come out. But alas, he did, sending both into shock.

"Cassie?" he looked at her in surprise.

"Jack." She spat, her eyes narrowing.

"Ah…" Roderick looked between them, feeling uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, his eyes never leaving Cassie.

"Cassie's the newest member of GN." Roderick answered.

"What!" Jack turned and starred at him in horror. "Please tell me your joking Rod."

"Sorry." He shook his head. "I'm not."

"Fuck." He muttered before glaring at Cassie.

"Don't glare at me Evans, you're the one who cheated on me remember, not the other way around." She glared straight back at him.

"Well yeah, when ya wouldn't give me anything, I had no choice but go to Angel. She at least knew how to keep me happy." He shot back.

She was going to reply but was interrupted by Roderick.

"Come on you two. You have plenty of time to fight later. She's in the group, so live with it Jack, you too Cas." Roderick gave both of them stern looks.

Both crossed their arms, looking away from each other angry. Roderick just sighed, knowing this was definitely going to cause trouble for them. But he also knew having Cassie in the group was a must if they were ever going to fix Alex's problem with her. He hadn't known Cassie for very long, but he already considered her a good friend. He didn't know why, but he felt he could trust her more than a lot of people, including Jack who he had been a friend with for quite some time now. Cassie just had something about her that made you like her, even if you didn't need anyone else. He appreciated it, and he wanted to help her out on this Alex situation more than anything, as he knew how much it was breaking them all apart. And in the end, he too was friends with Alex, and he surely noticed the definite change in his friend. And he didn't like it. He wanted the old Alex back. And if they had to go through bickers of Cassie and Jack to get that Alex back, it'd be worth it.

"Whatever man, I'm going to get ready for my match." Jack shrugged and just stalked off.

"Well that's mature." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"This isn't going to be a problem is it?" Roderick asked cautiously.

"As long as he doesn't talk to me, I'm good." She stated.

He sighed but nodded, knowing she did have a right to hate the said man. He did cheat on her after all, so Roderick could see why she was this angry at his teammate. In truth, when he first found out that Jack actually cheated on someone, he was angry. He always thought of Jack to be a trustworthy, loyal guy. But apparently he was wrong. But then again, he also found he was wrong about the kind of guy Alex was as well.

"So can I come in?" Cassie asked, her anger slowly starting to fall.

Roderick shook his head for a moment before nodding, a short smile falling on his lips. "Yeah, come on it."

He quickly shoved the door aside before moving to the side, allowing her room to enter. Cassie took a deep breath before doing just that. As she entered, she saw it was just like any other locker room, looking exactly the same as the one she had previously been using. But the only difference than her own was that there were two others inside the room other than she and Roderick.

"Austin." She greeted, a smile on her face now. "Feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

He rolled his eyes as he gave her a quick hug. "Yeah, because what, a week, is a long time."

"It really is." She nodded.

"Cas, this is the other member of GN, Matt…"

"Sydal." Cassie's smile grew larger. "Good old Japan buddy."

"Haven't seen you in months." Matt grinned.

"You two know each other?" Austin looked between the two confused.

"Back when I was there the first time for the year, Matt and I hung out together. I didn't really know anyone in Japan, and Matt kinda took me under his wing. Then it quickly changed somehow." She laughed.

"That's only because you kicked my ass." He frowned for a moment before once again grinning. "It was worth it though. So how have ya been?"

Cassie frowned and shrugged he they embraced quickly. "I've been better."

"Right, heard about everything from these guys. Sorry you've had such a rough time." He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah me too." She paused. "But how are you?"

"Pretty good actually." He nodded.

"He's just happy cuz he has a girl." Roderick chuckled.

"Shut up." Matt blushed.

"Really?" Cassie's eyes sparked. "Who? Anyone I know?"

"Becky Bayless." He mumbled, still blushing rapidly.

"Your going out with Becky? That's awesome. Glad someone has the brains. God knows Jimmy doesn't." she rolled her eyes before grinning. "How long?"

"About two months now." He answered.

"Nice. Are you two serious?"

"I think so." He thought.

Cassie hugged the man. "Happy for ya. She's a good person. Speaking of which, is she here still? I haven't seen her in ages it feels like."

"Yeah, she's in the women's locker room probably." Matt nodded.

"Awesome…alright, hurry up and tell me what's gonna all happen tonight…I have people to see." She turned to Roderick and Austin. "Come on, don't be shy."

"Someone's impatient." Austin rolled her eyes, sitting on the bench.

"Hurry hurry." She persisted.

"Okay okay." He held up his hands. "If you'll quiet down for a moment I'll tell ya."

"I'm quiet." She nodded.

He once again rolled his eyes. "Alright so tonight's gonna go down like this…"

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"Making their way to the ring, in tonight's Intergender Tag Team Match, representing Generation Next, making her debut here in Ring OF Honor, from Windsor Ontario Canada, Cassie Collins. And from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Austin Aries!"

The crowd cheered as Austin and Cassie came out through the curtain, the rest of Generation Next, even including Jack, following the two to the ring. With a true grin on her face, Cassie slipped into the ring and posed with the rest of GN. Although she had slight doubts about this at the beginning, she now was loving it. From everything Austin said about what's going to go down, she just couldn't wait to get out here. Once before when she was on Ring of Honor, she had an intense feud with ROH's own, Daizee Haze. And as she left unexpectedly, she never really got to end the feud. She was hoping tonight, she'd able to do just that, or hell, even bring the feud back into place.

"Ready?" Austin asked in her ear she looked around at the fans.

"More than ready." She nodded, finally spotting where Petey was sitting, talking with a familiar face. "AJ came too?"

Austin glanced over at the front row and nodded. "Yeah, wanted to cheer you on."

Cassie smiled at that as she locked eyes with Petey. He grinned up at her, giving her two thumbs up. She rolled her eyes before turning back towards the ring, getting ready for her opponents.

"And making their way to the ring, being accompanied by The Embassy and Prince Nana, they are the team of, Jimmy Rave and Daizee Haze!"

Cassie lent against the ropes as she watched the large group come out behind Rave and Haze. Just like always, they had a following. Though she had to admit, she was a bit surprise Haze actually allowed herself to be part of that group. She might have not exactly liked the woman before, but she at least respected her. Now, seeing her with The Embassy, it was hard to do even that. Though was surprised her more, shocked actually, was who was with the Embassy. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she watched Alex walk out from behind the curtain, chatting with Walters as they walked.

"He's with them." She asked, dazed.

"Yeah. Come on." Roderick motioned to getting out of the ring.

She nodded before shooting a glance at Alex, who still hadn't looked at her yet. Once they were out of the ring and down by the apron, The Embassy slid into it. They posed to a row of boos, as well as mounds of toilet paper being thrown into the ring at their distaste for the faction. She stifled a laugh, remembering now just how much she loved Ring of Honor fans. They voiced what they thought, and only what they thought. She liked that, as it gave them actual feedback of their performance. And the actual feedback that the Embassy was getting now, wasn't the best in the world. But then again, Cassie saw that back when she was here the first time around.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked, noticing how pale she was getting.

"Fine." She muttered. "You know, cuz I just found out my former best friend is in the faction I absolutely hate, and friends with the men who are my enemies. Yep, I'm awesome."

"Don't worry." Austin put an arm around her and smiled down at her. "Everything will work out. Believe me."

She looked at him suspiciously. "There's something else I should know about tonight isn't there?"

"Nope, nothing at all." He answered sweetly.

"Uh huh. I don't believe that. But I'll leave it for now." She rolled her eyes before looking back at the ring.

This time though, she was met with a dark look from Alex, who stood at the topes, arms crossed, and glaring down at her. She tried to remain her composure, not exactly wanting to look weak or something, but she couldn't help but to look down from that look. She couldn't handle the intensity in those eyes of his, the eyes that used to hold so much joy. They just looked, dark, disturbing. It almost scared her to see how much he actually changed. And it certainly wasn't for the better.

"Ready for this?" Roderick asked.

"No." she shook her head.

"You just were." Austin reminded her.

"That was before I found out he was going to be ringside, for the opposite team." She looked up at him.

"It'll be fine. Just concentrate on the match. It'll go perfectly. Just wait and see." He assured her.

"You sure?" she looked between them all, though of course, avoiding contact with Jack.

"Of course I am." He pushed her shoulder slightly. "Now come on, we have a match to win."

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**A/N: well i wonder what this is all about...i mean, why would Petey put her into GN if Alex was in the Embassy...once again, don't worry...it'll be explained...or it may not...what do you think about it?**

**as for the actual match, it'll be next chapter...any guesses of what may happen during it? interference by Nana? (alright, thats kinda obvious lol)...or maybe some interference from Alex?...hm, you never know...you know me, it wouldn't be special unless it had some kind of twist or drama to it.**

**but until next time (which may just be sooner than you think lol)**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty-Three:**

"Come on Ref! That was cheap!" Cassie yelled at the ROH official in the ring.

The referee just gave her a warning before going back to conducting the match. Cassie growled and glared as Prince Nana continued to interfere in the match, the ref not seeing a thing as he was being distracted by Jimmy, who kept doing the wrong inside the ring with Austin. She held her hand outstretched as Austin tried to make his way over to her, but with a large smirk, Jimmy grabbed him by the foot, and dragged him back to his corner, where he laid out a few more kicks on the fallen body. Cassie stomped the ring angrily, wishing there was something she could do. Then a thought processed in her mind.

"Roderick." She looked over at the man who was watching the match helplessly.

Roderick looked up. "Yeah?"

She knelt down so she was closer to him. "Give me your title then you guys go distract the ref."

"Cheating on your first day." He shook his head with a grin. "I see you don't have morals."

"Never did." She smiled. "So?"

"Already on the go." He nodded as Matt handed him his tag belt. "Just don't get it broken."

"How can you break a title?" she laughed slightly.

"I'm sure you'd find a way." He winked before he nodded at the other two members.

Cassie smiled as she hid the belt behind her back, the fans chanting, cheering her on. Once she saw the three had the ref's back turned to her, she climbed through the ropes and stalked Rave as he threw Austin into the ropes. But after Austin dodged under his legs towards her, Rave turned confused as the fans cheered louder. With a swift movement Cassie threw the title belt at Rave's forehead, knocking him to the ground. Smirking at Haze, she climbed back through her ropes, allowing for Austin to officially tag her. She threw the belt back at Matt, who caught it graciously, before she jumped over the ropes and into a hurrancanrana on the unexpected Haze, who has come into the ring to help. With encouraging chants being thrown her way, Cassie climbed up onto the turnbuckle next to theirs, and shot off it, landing a swift moonsault onto the woman. She quickly rolled her out of the ring though, as Rave began slowly getting up. Before he could fully though, she gave him a swift Enziguri kick, sending him back to the mat. Cassie looked behind her at the ropes and grinned, she ran at them, prepared to do a running summersault onto Rave's down body. But unfortunately, as she bounced off the ropes, her feet were grabbed and she was pulled to the ground, and then to the outside. She grabbed her forehead, which she had hit in the process, and looked up at who did the previous move. She gaped as she saw Alex smirk down at her. But before he could do anything else, Matt was seen jumping up on the apron of the ring and ran across before doing a body splash onto Alex. While the fans cheered and chanted, Cassie stood and slowly slid into the ring. But at her dazed nature, she never noticed the chair in Rave's hands. She soon did though, as the sickening sound of steel feel over the room. Cassie crashed to the ground, a cut forming on her forehead from the impact of the hit.

The three men on the outside of the ring watched helplessly as Rave set Cassie up for The Raves Clash, and connected, shoving her body into the mat.

"Fuck." Roderick muttered angrily as Rave covered her for the pin, and successfully got it, winning the match for himself and Haze.

"Come on, let's go get those two out of there." Matt stated sadly.

Roderick caught his arm though and stopped him. He shook his head at his friend. "No. Austin."

Matt looked at him confused for a moment before realization hit. "Your not actually gonna go through with the plan tonight are you?"

"We know it'll happen, so we might as well let it go. We may not get another chance like this." Roderick nodded.

"Its just…" Matt looked at the ring. "You sure?"

"Positive. Just believe me alright?" Roderick assured.

"Alright. I just hope your right." He sighed.

"I am." He smiled slightly before he caught site of something in the ring. He turned and before he could throw out a warning, Rave had thrown Austin over the ropes, and into the three of them below.

The four groaned as they all lay there for a few moments, trying to regain their breathing. Meanwhile, in the ring, Walters had slid into the ring with a table. Rave grinned at him as he picked up the chair once more, egging Cassie on to get up. As she slowly did, she was unaware of the fact that she was about to be met by hell. Seconds later, she was back down on the mat, blood flowing from her forehead, staining the ring. Rave just laughed cruelly as he set the chair down on the mat and grabbed Cassie. He dragged her to the chair, resting her head on it. Nana quickly handed him another chair, which he held with ease. Rave looked around at the fans before smirking and slamming the chair into Cassie's head, making her head smash into the chair below. The fans booed loudly at the treatment The Embassy were showing the debuting star. They had all hated them before, but this just drove them to further hate. And as Walters and Rave set up the table, that hate deepened even more.

Though while all of this was happening, one soul stood outside the ring and just watched. Alex had no clue of what to think. At first, he was glad. He wanted Cassie to feel pain. He wanted her to feel pain like he had from her. When that first chair shot hit her, he was grinning to no end. She finally got what was coming. And as she got the Raves Clash, he was even happier. And by the time they had won, he was practically jumping up and down. But once that second chair shot hit, Alex began to become a bit unsure. The next moment slightly twisted his insides as he saw Cassie's head connect with not just one, but to chairs full on. And now, seeing them set up the table, he shuddered. He wanted her to feel pain. But this seemed a bit wrong. He hated her, yes, but could he really hate her enough to watch as she got badly injured? He knew she was unconscious; she was after the first chair shot. And sensing by the blood, she wasn't doing to well. And that made him sick. He just stood there, and watched as Walters grabbed her lifeless body. Alex cringed and looked away as he put her through his specialty, the Hurricane DDT, right onto the chair. His eyes shut tightly. He couldn't watch this. He couldn't watch as they destroyed her. He hated her, but he couldn't watch this. This was too much. He just wanted to hurt her; he didn't want to cause this much damage. Just a few stings to the heart, not send her to the hospital.

But as he heard the sound of wood breaking, his eyes snapped open, and starred in horror as he saw her body in the mix of the broken table. He tried to look away, but every which way he looked, he was met by glares of the yelling fans. But then finally, he found something else. Petey was starring at him. Just starring. No glare, no disgust, he was just starring. Petey never stood, never once yelled a comment or moved. He just sat there and looked at him. Finally though, he could see Petey's lips move.

"Do the right thing." He said.

Without even hearing him, Alex knew what he said. But could he do that? Could he do the right thing? Could he ruin his alliance with The Embassy, for her? He already knew the answer to that, but it was deeper than that. Was he willing to sacrifice the pain he felt, to help her? He wasn't so sure. She hurt him, badly. She took him to the worst place, and he never wanted to go back. Alex knew she was sorry, but it was a hard thing to forgive. Could he really do that now? Forgive her and help her? She needed it, as Generation Next was being held back by the other members of The Embassy. So he was the only hope. But, would he be able to do it? And that's when it hit him. It was just like once before. This whole scene, it was like a replay of the past.

**_Flashback_**

_Alex clenched his fists as he pushed the other boy._

"_Leave her alone." Alex glared._

_The boy laughed. "Why? Oh, are you coming to protect your little friend Shelley? How cute."_

"_Leave her alone." He warned him._

"_No." the boy went to punch him._

_But Alex saw this coming and ducked before swiftly tripping him, taking him off his feet. The boy fell backwards onto the pavement and cried out in pain. Alex stood with a smirk as he pushed away the boy's posse._

"_Go the hell away." Alex warned._

_The two other boys looked at each other before grabbing their friend and leaving. Alex sighed in relief as he turned as saw his fifteen-year-old friend hugging her knees to her chest on the ground. He slowly bent his 16-year-old form down and knelt in front of her._

"_CeCe?" he slowly pushed the hair out of her eyes. "You okay?"_

"_No." she shook her head with a mumble._

"_They're gone now. You wanna tell me what happened?" he asked._

"_I-I was just walking and they started teasing, and I got angry and said something, and then they got in my face, and then he hit me." She touched her check softly._

_Alex frowned as he could see a handprint on her face. He now wished he hadn't gotten angry before and stomped off._

"_I-I'm sorry." She told him quietly._

"_Don't be sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry. It was a stupid fight." He smiled slightly. "If it makes you happy, I tried out that cool trip move we saw on the Pay Per View last night."_

_She looked at him. "Really?"_

"_Yep. Did it pretty nicely too." He nodded proudly._

"_That's cool." She wiped away her tears, or at least tried to. "Sorry again."_

"_Stop being sorry CeCe." He rolled his eyes. "Nothing's your fault. Now come on, lets go. I do believe there's a pizza with our name on it."_

"_Hopefully its not written in permanent marker, I don't wanna die." She laughed softly._

"_Well I hope not. That'd take away from the taste." He frowned before laughing as well._

"_Thanks Lex." She told him seriously._

"_Anytime CeCe." He grinned at her. "I'll always be there for you. No matter what."_

**_End Flashback_**

Those words stung his heart. He said that. He said he would always be there for her. No matter what. So why was he still standing here, watching as Rave lifted up the chair one for time? He didn't know, and he wanted to change that. He quickly shot out of his daydream and slid into the ring. Rave sent him a smirk, not thinking anything of it. But Alex quickly made him frown as he speared him to the ground, the chair flying out of his hands. The fans fell into silence as they saw this happen before their eyes. They just couldn't believe that Alex Shelley just speared his own teammate. But seeing it, created such a buzz, that they couldn't help but start cheering. And what happened next made them cheer even louder. As Alex got up, he saw Nana yelling at him. He just smirked and grabbed at the man before giving him the Shell Shock. As the fans cheered even louder, Alex watched as the rest of The Embassy grabbed the two fallen men and left the area. He rolled his eyes at their immaturity before looking at Cassie's body. Now he really did feel sick as he saw how badly she was hurt. Her whole face was covered with blood, as with her shirt, and the mat around her. She just lay there. No movement whatsoever. It almost scared him to say the least. She looked so…not alive. She just lied there. The only indication that she was alive at all was the slow uprising of her abdomen. It was the only thing that drove him over to her.

"We need to get her to the hospital." Austin stated from behind.

Alex looked over his shoulder, not hearing the man enter the ring. He looked at Austin closely, and saw something he hadn't in awhile; respect. With new inspiration, he nodded and looked down at Cassie. With a broken heart at seeing her like this, he slowly raised her body up into his arms. As he stood, her in his arms, Generation Next around them, he found himself doing something he thought he never would. He apologized.

"I'm sorry Cas. I'm so sorry." He told her as he held her tighter. "God I'm sorry. So sorry."

"Come on man, there will be time for that later. We need to get her out of here now." Roderick told him.

Alex looked at his friend and nodded, a scarce tear falling down his face. He really did make a new pact this time around. He was going to protect her. He was going to make sure she knew that. She hurt him, yes, but it was time he grew up. It was time he just let the past go and embrace the future. And he was finally ready to do so.

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**A/N: well that was...a bit unexpected...even i didn't see that coming...okay i so did. but i bet none of you did...or maybe you did...hm...anyways...so what does this mean now? How'd Cassie? and is Alex really ready to forgive her? hopefully, as those two drove me insane with their fighting lol...anyways, time to write the next chapter...expect something later today or tomorrow...hope you enjoyed**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty-Four:**

"Nice to see you smartened up." Petey stood in the doorway of Cassie's hospital room.

Alex just continued to look at Cassie with sad eyes.

"You did the right think you know. Helping her. I know you didn't know what to do. I could see it in your eyes. I don't know what made you did it. But thanks." Petey took a few steps into the room.

"I was a bastard wasn't I?" Alex asked, ignoring what Petey had said.

Petey raised an eyebrow. "Yeah you were."

"I hate myself." He grumbled.

"Hey, we all are bastards sometimes. You just took it to the extreme. But you made up for it dude." Petey assured him.

"By helping her? Pretty sure I'm not through yet." Ale sighed, putting his head in his hands.

Petey frowned and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. If anything, you'll get the good side of her. I'll get the bad end."

"Why would you get the bad end?" Alex looked at him confused.

Petey took his hand off Alex's shoulder and stuffed them into his pockets. "Lets just say, there's a reason why the guys didn't go in and get Cassie out before any of that could have happened."

"What do you mean? I don't get it."

Petey sighed and fell into a chair beside Alex. "I had this bright idea that if she went to ROH, fought people who hated her, while you were at ring side, you would eventually help her. Who are the ones who hate Cassie in ROH? The Embassy, which you just so happen so be a part of."

Alex's mouth fell open in complete shock. "So wait, your saying you…"

"Well I never organized it, but I figured that if Cas got in the ring with Rave, that somehow, she would end up hurt, as you know how much The Embassy hates her. I was just hoping that you would end up not able to take it, and help her." Petey looked down.

"She's going to kill you dude." Alex blinked, still not able to believe it.

"Yeah I am." Cassie's voice came from behind.

Alex and Petey looked at one another before looking at Cassie, who looked beyond mad.

"Get the hell out Petey." She growled at him.

"Cas, I…" he stood and tried to explain.

"Get out." She pointed at the door.

"Cas please." He begged her.

"Out!"

Petey bowed his head and left, feeling guilty for everything.

"He was just trying to help." Alex said.

Cassie exchanged her angry look for one that was shy. She immediately looked down at her lap. She was too scared to look at him. Last time she did, she saw emotions she never wanted to witness again. She didn't want to see if they were still there.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She remained silent. In all honesty, she wasn't sure why he was here. Last time she saw him, he was standing outside the ring, smirk plastered on his face. Why would he be here? He didn't seem to care all that much.

"Cas?" Alex asked before sighing. "Let me guess, you have no clue why I'm here."

She nodded slightly. Alex took a deep breath before telling her of what happened once she fell unconscious. Afterwards, she just starred at him in shock while he starred down at his lap.

"You-you helped me?" she asked in a small voice.

Alex looked up and nodded. "Well yeah, I couldn't let them do that to my best friend."

"Best friend?" her eyes watered.

"Well that's what you were last time I checked." He smiled, getting up off the chair and walked over to her bed. He sat down on it, not to close, but close enough. "I'm sorry for being a jackass. I really am. I was just hurt. I was never good at handling my feelings well. So I freaked. I turned into a bastard. I hurt you and I'm sorry."

"I deserved it though." She looked back down at her lap. "I hurt you ten times more than you hurt me."

"Yeah, but I still hurt you. That's the part that kills. I don't want to be the kind of person who hurts his best friend. But apparently I already am. But I want to change that." Alex lent a hand over and wiped away a stray tear.

"I missed you." She mumbled, still not looking at him.

"Same here CeCe. Life was never the same without seeing you every day. Glad those guys tricked you into coming back. Austin told me what they did. I wish I could have seen Ki's face after you slapped him." He smiled with a small laugh.

Cassie let out a laugh as she lifted her head and looked at him. This time when she starred into his eyes, he didn't hold anger. His eyes held happiness, joy even. It was enough to make her smile.

"You don't look like a bastard anymore." She stated.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Did they accidentally put you on crack?"

She chuckled. "No, its just, last time I saw you, your eyes…they were…they just weren't you…but they're back to normal…"

"I still say they gave you crack." He shook his head with a grin.

"If anyone gave it to me, it was probably you." She said.

"More than likely I'm sure." He nodded. "So do you think we can go back to how we were before any of this started? Best friends?"

Cassie nodded. "I'd like that."

"Good." He jumped up, and proceeded to do a little dance.

Cassie cracked up in laughing, making her ribs hurt. "Ugh, stop dancing Lex, the laughing is hurting."

"Oh…sorry." Alex grinned but never stopped.

"Alex." She groaned, holding her ribs.

"What the in the blue Jesus are you doing?" AJ's voice came through the room.

Alex glanced over his shoulder, saw AJ, and continued dancing.

"He's acting like a freak." Cassie rolled her eyes, trying to stop laughing, but not succeeding.

"Hasn't he always though." AJ chuckled, walking into the room and onto the other side of her bed.

"Hey." Alex stopped, pouting now. "I resent that you know."

"Haha, you should." Chris stated.

"Why is everyone gaining up on me? I feel unloved." Alex continued to pout.

"Don't try it. If it doesn't work for her, it won't work for you." Chris laughed, walking further into the room. "Hey Cas, I saw Petey walk out so I figured you were awake. How are ya feeling?"

"Ugh. All I can say is pain." She groaned.

"Figured as much." Chris smiled. "You two fix things?"

Cassie now smiled. "Yeah."

"Good. I didn't like the moody Alex. Wasn't fun." Chris looked over at Alex and snorted as he saw the glare that was being thrown at him.

"Not cool dude." Alex glared.

"Whatever man." Chris clapped him on the shoulder.

"Wow, is this a dream? Everyone's happy?" Roderick walked into the room, Generation Next, minus Jack, following in behind.

"I don't think this room was meant for this many people." Cassie smiled at them.

"Too bad." Austin shrugged. "No but seriously, why was Alex dancing. That should never happen."

"Seriously, if you guys are gonna be mean, I'm gonna leave." Alex threatened.

"Aww, poor Lexie." Cassie smirked.

"Whatever CeCe." He stuck out his tongue at her.

She laughed at his immaturity. "You'll never grow up."

"No I don't think I will. But you know you wont either."

"Who needs being adults?" She smiled.

"Exactly." He threw up his hands. "Okay but seriously…am I the only one hungry?"

"Dude…your best friend's in the hospital, and all you care about is food?" AJ laughed.

"Yes." He mumbled with a grin.

"That's all he cares about." Cassie agreed with a nod.

"You know I like ya Cas…but food is first priority to a growing man." Alex flexed a muscle.

"By doing that, it won't grow larger." She shot at him.

"Meanie." He pouted once again.

"Your immature." She rolled her eyes.

"You make me be."

"See, that's so mature." She replied sarcastically.

"Yep." He nodded.

"Ugh, you annoy me Alex." She sighed with a headshake.

"Don't ya know it." he grinned.

"Alright everyone, Miss. Collins needs her rest." A nurse walked into the room. "You can all see her again later."

"But." Alex tried to interject.

"Mr. Shelley, she's fine as you can see, go." The nurse pointed at the door while everyone else waved and left the room.

"Can he stay?" Cassie piped up.

"Pardon dear?" The nurse turned on her with a warm smile.

"Can he stay with me? Please?" Cassie asked.

The nurse thought about it before nodding. "But don't keep her awake too long."

"I wont." Alex nodded.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few hours to check in on you." The nurse walked towards the door.

"Thanks." Alex grinned at her.

Cassie shrugged. "No problem. I wanted you here anyways. I haven't really seen you in months, so I wanna spend as much time as I can with ya."

"Hey, now that's clingy." He smirked.

"Oh like you aren't." she rolled her eyes.

"True." He shrugged before sliding back into the seat beside her bed. "But like the nurse said, you probably should rest."

Cassie nodded as she yawned, as if on cue. "Can you stay with me?"

"I already am?" Alex raised an eyebrow in confusion.

She shook her head. "No I mean." She looked down at the bed. "I mean, with me…"

"You sure?" Alex looked at her surprised.

"It's just that…I can't sleep…and always having you near me, it gets me to sleep." She blushed.

Alex grinned. "Sure. Move over, and don't take over my space."

"More like the other way around." She chuckled before slowly, sorely moving over.

"Haha Cas." He stuck out a tongue before sliding into the bed beside her. He slowly put an arm around Cassie. "Rest up okay Cas? I hate seeing you in the hospital."

"Will do." Cassie nodded, yawning again as she turned towards him and cuddled close to him. "Night Lex."

"Its day time Cas." He laughed.

"Whatever. Same thing." She mumbled before feeling her eyes drift closed.

"Night Cas." He smiled at her as he closed his eyes and stroked her hair.

Without him even noticing, he too slowly drifted asleep, gaining a frown from someone who had been watching them together. He scowled at how close they were before stomping off.

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**A/N: so the two made up :D im happy, but knowing me, you never know what gonna happen with those two. now...i wonder...who was that? who was that that was at the door? who just stomped off angrily? hm...truthfully, not exactly sure myself lol...**

**Who do you think it is?**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty-Five:**

"Come on Cas, please don't be mad at me!" Petey trailed after Alex and Cassie.

"Fuck off Petey." Cassie growled.

"I was just trying to help." He pleaded.

"Fuck off."

"Please Cas."

Alex stopped Cassie. "Just listen to him."

"No Alex." Cassie turned to him. "I'm not listening to him. I don't care if he was trying to help. He put me in the hospital. That's a bit hard to forgive. God, I swear I can never go back to ROH now. I probably look like a weak little girl. Thanks Petey."

"Look, I didn't mean for it to go down like that. You have to believe me Cas. I just wanted you and Alex to make up. You were miserable. I hate seeing you like that." He grabbed her hands.

Cassie pulled her hands away and crossed her arms. "Go away Petey."

"Please Cas. At least let me take you home." He begged.

"No. I'm staying with Alex for a few days. So we can catch up." She shook her head.

"When are you coming back?" Petey asked, hurt written in his eyes.

"Whenever you learn to not be a jackass." She spat before turning back around and heading towards Alex' car.

"She's never going to forgive me." Petey's shoulders slumped forward.

Alex clapped him on the back. "Just give her time."

"That's exactly what I said to her about you. Before she left for Japan." Petey rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but your not a jackass like me…well maybe you are, but not as big of one. And she's the one angry this time…maybe we need to put chains on you to make sure you don't go anywhere." Alex smirked.

"Haha, funny Shelley." Alex punched him in the arm. "I guess I'll talk to you later. Call me when you get to Detroit."

"Will do man. Take care." Petey nodded.

Alex nodded in return before jogging up next to Cassie as the two turned the corner to where his car was located. Petey just sighed sadly as he turned towards where his car was located in the Hospital parking lot. He had come here hoping he would be able to talk to Cassie. It had been a week since the Ring Of Honor incident, and the doctors were just now releasing her. All through the week, Petey had tried to talk to her, see her. But she refused. She would either turn away from him every time he was in the room, or just tell him to leave. He wished she would just let him explain. But she was too stubborn. She needed time to cool off. Petey just hated having her mad at him. He cared too much for her to have her be mad at him. He wished he could just redo what he did, and not follow through with the plan. It would have saved him a lot of heartbreak.

But now here he was, sitting in his car, alone, in Philadelphia, ready to drive the endless hours back up to Windsor. Petey couldn't help but frown as he began to leave the parking lot and onto the open road. He wanted her with him. He knew she'd be fine with Alex, that wasn't what he was worried about. It was the fact that he didn't want to lose her. He didn't want them to drift apart. He wouldn't be able to handle that. He was too used to her being there now, to use to having her there for him. He wouldn't be able to handle losing the only good thing in his life.

_**Flashback**_

"_Petey, please don't be mad." Cassie begged._

_Petey rolled his eyes as he pushed past her. Cassie sighed and followed him out of the locker room._

"_Come on Petey, I said I was sorry."_

"_Fuck off Cas." He grumbled as he continued to walk faster._

"_But, she was cheating on you Petey! How can you be mad at me for just protecting you?" she asked, tears in her eyes._

"_Very easily." He flipped her the finger as he turned a corner._

"_Petey! Please. I just don't want to see you hurt." She jogged up to him, turning him around. "I hate seeing you hurt."_

"_Your hurting me now Cassie. Just stay out of my life." He spat._

_A tear fell down her face. "You don't mean that."_

"_Yes I do. I'm tired of you messing things up for me. I liked Lara, Cas, and you ruined it. I hate you, so stay the hell away from me." He pushed her hand off his arm walked down the hall._

_Cassie's bottom lip quivered as she slowly drew down the closest wall, hugging her knees to her chest. Her head fell into her knees as the tears spilled from her hazel eyes. Meanwhile, down the hall and around the corner, Petey stopped walking as he heard a sob. He turned slightly, walked to the corner edge, and peered around the wall, only to see Cassie balling her eyes out. He moved back to his side of the wall and leaned against the wall while running a hand through his hair. He didn't mean to be a bastard to her. She just ruined the relationship he was currently enjoying with one of their peers. He really liked her, and Cassie ruined it on him. But he knew he shouldn't have gotten that angry and said he hated her. He could never hate her. Get mad and angry with her, yes, but never hate. He couldn't. He loved her too much to hate her. _

_Petey sighed as he pushed himself off the wall and turned back into the hall Cassie was sitting in. he made his way over and knelt beside the woman._

"_Oh stop crying Cas. I'm sorry. I don't hate you. You just got me angry that's all." He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her small body._

"_I-I'm sorry." She gasped through the sobs._

"_I know." Petey nodded, rubbing her back soothingly. _

"_I didn't mean to ruin it…I just didn't want her to hurt you." She gave a little hiccup._

_Petey sighed. "I know. And I appreciate you looking out for me. You know me, I get angry easily."_

"_I know…I'm sorry." She looked up at him, bright eyes full of tears._

_Petey smiled down at her before wiping away any tears still on her cheeks. "Me too. Now dry those eyes…I hate seeing you cry, you know that."_

_Cassie nodded as she rubbed the tears from her round eyes. "Better?"_

"_Much." He let go of her and stood. "Want to go get something to eat?"_

"_Sure." She agreed, taking the hand he outstretched for her. "I'm sorry again."_

"_I know. I'm sorry too. Sometimes, I just do and say things that I regret. You know that. But I'll always love you Cas. You're my best friend. I'll never hate you. Remember that alright?" he wrapped an arm around her shoulders._

_Cassie nodded. "I will. Thanks."_

_**End Flashback**_

Petey smiled as he remembered that day years ago. They were still in training at Can-Am when the incident happened. He remembered it like it was only yesterday though. He didn't know why, it was just a day stuck in his memory. Though maybe it did, as it was the first time he ever hurt Cassie. Just like he had now. He wished he could take it all back. He hated that he had to watch her getting the hell beat out of her. He wanted to jump over the barricades the whole time and help her. But he couldn't. He had to watch as his best friend, the person he loved, got injured. Petey wished he could take that back. He wished with all his might he could go back in time and stop this all from happened. But he knew he couldn't. He knew he just had to find a way to fix this. And find a way quickly. He couldn't risk losing her over this.

So without waiting much longer, Petey fished his phone out from his pocket as he drove, and pressed the familiar numbers.

"Alex here." Alex's voice came over the phone cheerfully.

"Hey man, its me." Petey rolled his eyes.

"Hey Pete, what's up?" Alex asked.

"Nothing. Can I talk to Cassie?" he asked.

"You sure man?"

"Yeah." Petey replied.

"Alright. One sec." Alex said, almost in hesitation.

Petey waited a minute as he heard bickering. He stifled a laugh though as he heard the voice he so desperately wanted to hear.

"What the hell do you want Petey?" she spat.

"Look, I just want to talk. You wont let me do it in person, so let me do it over the phone. We have a long trip ahead of us, and knowing you, you'll get bored. So this will take away some of this boredom." Petey said, hoping she would agree. "Please Cassie."

"Fine." She sighed after a minute.

"Thanks. Okay, let me start from the beginning. Do you remember that dream you had? The one that afterwards, I found you crying in your room?"

"Yes." She replied.

Petey took a deep breath. "Well I thought that maybe if I had a thing like that happen, and like I told you that night, Alex would have helped you, if that happened and Alex did help you, maybe you two could make up."

"Well good job Petey. It worked. I only you know, got beat the hell up in the process!"

Petey cringed. "Yeah I know. And I'm sorry. You don't know how hard that was to watch. But Alex had to be the one to help you. I knew he would eventually. He did, it just took longer than I thought."

"You got that damn right. I was in the hospital for a week Petey!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry. If I could take it all back and figure something else out, then I would. I really would. But I cant. God, please Cassie, you've got to believe me. I never wanted you to get that badly hurt."

"Whatever Petey. You hurt me." She stated.

Petey closed his eyes for a moment. "Look, I know Cas, and I'm sorry…" Petey opened his eyes and widened as he saw something he knew wasn't good. "Oh fucking crap!"

And then, the line went dead.

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**A/N: uh oh...whats going on? what happened to Petey? i feel slightly evil at the moment lol...but you know me, this was bound to happen...so, any guesses of what happened? its knda obvious, but u never know i guess, i mean aliens could have come and abducted him or something lol...anyways, gotta head to bed now...way too late, i'll update this later today tho, when its actually light outside lol...until then**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-Six:**

"What the hell." Cassie glared down at the phone.

"What?" Alex quickly glanced at her.

"The line just went dead. He said, and I quote "oh fucking crap", and then it went dead." She frowned. "Yeah, that shows he cares."

Alex frowned. He knew Petey; he never hanged up on anyone. So why now? It just didn't make sense. I mean he was driving, and wanted to talk to Cassie, so why would he hang up on her. That's when it hit Alex. He was driving and talking on his cell phone to Cassie.

"Oh god." His face went pale as he gripped onto the wheel tighter.

"What?" Cassie looked at him confused.

"He was talking on his phone to you while driving…you don't think?" he shot another glance at her.

"What?" she asked again, not fully understanding it.

"You don't think he got in an accident do you?"

"No. He probably was being an ass." Cassie waved the idea away.

"I don't know Cas. I mean, that's not Petey." Alex bit his lip.

"I'm sure he did Lex." She rolled her eyes.

But Alex wasn't so sure. He knew Petey as much as she did, and this wasn't him. The worst possibly scenario was playing in his head, and it didn't end up well. What if he was in an accident? Would there be anyone to help him? Would he be hurt? And worse, would he be alive?"

"Lex, I'm sure he's fine." Cassie put a hand on his shoulder. "Stop worrying so much. Usually that's my job."

"But…"Alex choked back the words. "It's a possibility Cas."

"Look, I'm sure he'll call in like ten minutes with a dumb excuse for it all. Don't worry."

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Four hours later, and Alex was freaking out. There had been no word from Petey since the line went dead. Alex had tried his phone, but he got nothing, not even a ring tone. Now he was scared out of his mind. The worse possibly scenario was now a larger possibility, and he wasn't sure how he could deal with that.

"See that's probably Petey now." Cassie nodded at the phone that had just started ringing.

Alex immediately snatched it up and clicked it on. "Petey?"

"Its Chris."

Alex mentally cursed. "What's up man?"

"Its about Petey." Chris stopped, sounding choked up. "Something happened dude."

Alex paled. He knew this wasn't good. "Hang on a minute."

"Alex what are you doing?" Cassie questioned as Alex drove over to the side of the rode and parked.

He held up a hand before going back to his conversation with Chris.

"What is it?"

"He-he was in an accident." Chris replied, sounding almost as if he was trying not to cry.

"How bad?" Alex breathed, paling even further.

"Bad, really bad."

"Where is he?" Alex questioned.

"They transferred him to the hospital here in Windsor. Its bad. You guys have to get here soon. I-I don't know how long he's going to last."

Alex felt his insides churn. "I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Just tell Cassie to forgive him now. If something does happen to him, she doesn't need to feel guilty."

"Will do Chris. Thanks for telling us, I appreciate it."

"Hey, we're all friends." Chris stopped for a minute before continuing. "Scott just got here. I'm going to go talk to him. Get here soon dude, and be careful. I don't need all of my friends in the hospital."

Alex told him he would before ending the conversation.

"What's going on?" Cassie asked as Alex put the phone down with a shaking hand.

Alex turned in his seat so he was facing her.

"Petey was in an accident. He was transferred to Windsor." Alex paused, trying not to get too emotional. "He's not doing good."

"What?" Cassie's eyes widened. "No. No he cant…no…please god this is just some excuse to get me to forgive him."

Alex shook his head. "Its not Cas. Its real."

Cassie could immediately feel tears prick her eyes. "No."

"Look Cas. Petey was sorry. Really sorry. He just wanted us to be friends again. You can't be mad at him for that. I know you. If something happens, your going to hold yourself responsible and feel guilty. I want you to just forgive him okay? Just forget it all happened. Please. For your own sake." Alex pleaded.

Cassie nodded numbly.

Alex took her hand in his and squeezed it, feeling his own tears in his eyes. "Come on, we're only 45 minutes away, we'll make it in time Hun."

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"Where's Chris?" Cassie asked as the two rushed into the hospital.

"Over there." Alex pointed to the other side of the room as Chris came out of another room, face stained with tears.

Chris looked over and caught site of them. When they saw the look in his eyes, their hearts broke.

"What happened? Is he okay?" Alex asked as they reached him.

Chris looked down as more tears threatened to spill.

"What is it?" Alex put a hand on his shoulder.

"He-he stopped breathing."

"What?" Cassie looked at him in fear. "No…he couldn't have."

"I'm sorry Cas." Chris looked up as he saw tears fall from her eyes.

"No…no. He can't. No." she fell to the floor, unable to hold herself up on her weakened legs any longer. "No. Why him? It can't be. God no."

Alex just stood there and watched as she cried on the ground. He couldn't even comfort her. He couldn't move. He just felt his own tears as they fell.

"If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have been talking on his phone. It's all my fault. Why couldn't I just forgive him before we left the hospital? Oh god Petey. No." she sobbed.

"Its not your fault babe." Chris knelt down beside her sadly. "It happened. It was no ones fault."

"But." She looked at him before breaking down once more.

Chris looked up at Alex before back down at Cassie. He didn't know what to do. Their best friend just stopped breathing. He was gone. He was really gone. It was too hard to process. He could even think about it. How could such a good guy, leave this world? It wasn't possible. This seemed like a bad dream that they all woke wake up from. But yet it wasn't. It was real. Nothing was going to change. Petey was gone. He was really gone.

"I got here as soon as I heard." Jimmy ran over to them but stopped as he saw them all crying. "What?"

"We lost him Jimmy." Alex bit his lip.

Jimmy's face paled. "No. Tell me your joking man."

"I wish I was." Alex brought a hand up over his eyes.

Jimmy couldn't say anything. He just dropped into the closest chair and put his head in his hands.

"I never got to say good bye." Cassie mumbled. "I never got to say how much he meant to me."

"We all didn't." Chris put an arm around her. "I'm sure he knows."

"But…I want Petey back."

"We all do Hun." Alex agreed.

"Guys." Scott took a step out of the room. "Get off the ground and wipe your eyes for god sakes. Get the hell in here now."

They all looked at Scott like he was crazy.

Scott just smiled at them all, as if out of relief.

"Petey's alive."

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**A/N: how many of you cried...i know i did. i know im evil, making you think he died. but i could never make my favourite candian die...thats jsut not cool. so yes, he lives...bet i almost gave u heart attacks tho lol...well, sorry its short tho, im too tired to do anymore lol. so here it is, and i swear, this is the last one until much much later in the day. until then**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Seven:**

"I can't believe he's alive." Jimmy sighed, wiping away the remainder of his tears.

"Your not the only one." Chris nodded, wide eyes starring at the limp body lying in front of them.

"You four have an hour until we have to take Mr. Williams into surgery." The doctor looked up from a clipboard.

"Surgery?" Alex asked confused.

"Mr. Williams has internal bleeding as well as two kidneys that are threatening to collapse. Unlike a lung, kidneys are much harder to work with. We're only going to be able to take one lung out for the time being, as if we take both, Mr. Williams will more than likely die. We'll put him on the top of the list for another kidney, but it may be a while. And Mr. Williams may not have that long." The doctor sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'll leave you four, but only an hour."

The four nodded as the doctor walked out of the room. Alex, too all of their surprise, hugged Petey's form.

"Uh, dude?" Chris couldn't help but laugh. "You know if he were awake right now, he'd probably kick you for doing that."

"Yeah well I don't care at the moment." Alex shot him a glare, still hugging Petey.

"Haha, you look slightly gay man." Jimmy as well laughed through the fear he felt.

"Shut up." Alex stuck his tongue out.

Cassie rolled her eyes before wiping away a tear falling down her cheek. Petey was alive, but he wasn't out of the dangers yet. If they couldn't find a kidney donor…Petey might just fall to the fate that he almost did.

"I'm so making it a tradition to love doctors." Jimmy sighed as he sat down in a chair, while Alex let Petey go. "I'm just thankful they were able to get his heart beating again."

"I agree." Chris nodded. "But I guess he's not done yet."

"What if they can't find a kidney that matches?" Cassie asked softly, fear in her tone.

"I'm sure they will. I mean his dad can test for it. I'll gladly test for it." Chris assured her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it.

"Same here. Who needs two kidneys eh?" Jimmy sent an encouraging smile to Cassie.

"Well me, but I'll give one up if I have to." Alex nodded.

"Same." Cassie looked down, breathing hard.

"Don't blame yourself Cas." Chris brought her into his arms, knowing she was still thinking the thoughts. "It wasn't your fault. It happened. There's nothing you can do to change it."

"I know." She mumbled.

"Alex dude, stop it man." Jimmy laughed, breaking the two from their thoughts.

Cassie and Chris looked over and laughed slightly as they saw Alex had once more hugged Petey.

"Seriously, I'm gonna call you gay soon dude." Jimmy threatened.

"He's gonna hate ya when we tell him." Chris agreed with a smile.

"Get the hell off of me." A voice said gruffly.

Alex jumped back as he looked down at Petey with wide eyes.

"Thank you." Petey mumbled.

The four looked at each other, not believing that he was awake at the moment.

"Stop starring at me." He groaned. "Yeah I know your starring."

"Petey, man. You don't know how good it is to see you're awake." Chris sighed in relief.

Petey just shrugged slightly before his eyes flew open. Cassie fought her urges, her body wanting to run over to him and hug him tightly. But she controlled herself, and stayed by Chris.

"Can I talk to Cassie?" Petey asked, eyes starring up at the ceiling.

Cassie looked at the three men and nodded. They slowly said small good byes before leaving the room. Once they were gone, Cassie walked over to the chair beside his bed and sat in it. Petey turned his head and just starred at her.

"Hi." He smiled slightly.

"Hi." She felt tears sting her eyes.

"Hey don't cry." He slowly reached a hand up and wiped away a tear. "You know I hate it."

"I can't help it." she said as another tear fell. "I thought I really lost you."

"I'm here aren't I?" he wiped the tear away. "But I need to talk to you alright? Just let me talk. Please. Before I cant do this."

Cassie nodded.

Petey inhaled sharply before starting. "Look, I don't have a lot of time left. I can feel it. I heard the doctor a few minutes ago. I know I need a kidney or I'll die. The chances of getting one this quickly are slim Cas. I'm not going to make it. I-I don't know if I'll make it out of that surgery, that's why I wanted to talk to you. I needed to know you were going to be okay. This is going to be hard on the guys. And I know this is going to be hard on you. But I need you to be strong. I need you to help those guys out. Help them through it. Take care of them for me. Hit them when they're stupid, insult them when you want to, just make sure you take care of them. If I'm going to die, I want to make sure everyone is going to be okay. I can't leave without knowing it. So please Cassie, promise me you'll help them. Promise me you won't shy away from everyone. Promise me you wont go to Japan. Promise me you'll always be here."

Petey paused for a moment.

"In case I don't come back, and I have a feeling I wont, I just wanted to tell you I loved you. Alex was always right months ago. I did love you. I do. Back at the club months ago, when we were fighting. Alex accused me of secretly trying to get you back in the day. And he was right. But it never happened, because you went off to Japan. I know you love Alex, and I know you'll never feel the same towards me. But I want you to know that I love you. I'll always love you. Even if I'm not here, always remember that I still love you."

"Petey." Tears were flowing down her face.

"Let me finish." He shook his head. "I need you to tell Traci that I'm sorry I hurt her. I love her, I do. I just couldn't be a man and tell her the truth. Tell her that I wish I were a better boyfriend to her, that I wish I were there for her more. Tell her to go on with her life, and find someone who can treat her like she deserves. Tell her to remember me though, just tell her to live."

"Petey, please." She begged.

"I don't want to see the guys. I should I know, but I cant handle it. I'll break if I do. Tell them I say goodbye, that I love them. They're the best friends that I never knew before. They're the best things that came into my life, and even though we've fought, I've always considered them my best friends. Tell Jimmy to never stop with his immature crazy ways. That's the one thing I liked about him. Tell Chris to keep with the dad role and protect you all; he's the best at it. And tell Alex…tell Alex to stop his fooling around and just tell you how he feels. Tell him be better be with you within a month, or I'll come back to haunt his ass. Just tell them all that I'll always be with them. Tell them good bye for me."

"Petey, please stop."

Petey cupped her cheek. "Cas, I'll always love you. But I can feel it in my body that this isn't going to last very much longer. I'll make it to surgery, but after that, I don't know what will happen."

"We'll get tested. Your dad will. We'll get you a kidney." Cassie told him.

"There's not enough time Cas." Petey shook his head.

"No. You're not going to die." She refused to accept it. "You cant. Please. I need you."

"I'm sorry Cas. But it's going to happen."

"Petey please don't. I can't handle it. I need you here. I need you to hold me and tell me everything's going to be all right when me and the guys fight. I need you to come into my room at night when I'm having a nightmare, and just lie with me. I need to see you come down in the morning and start cooking. I can't not see you. I need you." Cassie pleaded.

"I'll always be with you Cas. Just in the heart."

"No." she shook her head. "No, I need you here. I need to touch you. I need to be able to hug you. I need to be able to talk to you."

"Cas."

"No." she stood, a determined look on her face. "We're all getting tested now, and we're going to help you. I refuse to accept that my best friend is going to die."

"Cas."

"No. Stop Petey." She turned and walked towards the door. "I'll see you after the surgery. I'll see you when you're okay for good."

And then Cassie left, leaving Petey alone to cry.

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"Calm down Cassie. The results will come in shortly." Mr. Williams, Petey's father assured her.

Cassie nodded, but couldn't help but continue to pace. She soon stopped though, as the familiar doctor walked over, smile on his face.

"Well?" Cassie demanded.

"We have thankfully found someone compatible." The doctor nodded.

"Who?" Alex jumped out of his seat.

"Mr. Williams was the one we thought would be the one. But he was not."

"Then who was?" Chris asked confused.

"Mr. D'Amore." The doctor looked over at Scott who looked up in surprise.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yes. You're the only one who tested positive. Now, if you don't want to contribute one of your kidneys, that's fine…"

"No, I'll do it." Scott stood up. "He's like a son to me. I'll gladly do it."

The doctor nodded. "Alright. Mr. Williams's surgery will be starting momentarily. But first, I'll take you to go see the doctor who will be doing your procedure. You'll be prepped, and then yours will go under way."

Scott nodded. "Alright I'm ready."

"If you'll follow me."

Mr. Williams stopped him though. "Thank you Scott."

"Phil, you know I love that boy." Scott embraced his friend. "I wouldn't let anything happen to him."

"Thank you."

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**A/N: well that was extremely hard to write...even i was starting to cry. but thankfully, Scott can give him a kidney...lets just hope Petey makes it...but i'm pretty sure he would...i mean could i really kill our fav canadian off?** **I'm pretty sure no. but then agian, who knows. well, until the next update :)**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty-Eight:**

Cassie took the limp hand and held it tightly. It had been an hour since the surgery, and there was still no word of how Petey was doing. The doctors said there had been a few small complications, but it had gone well afterwards. But now they said it was up to time to see if he rejected the kidney. If he did, then he'd have to be put on the waiting list once more, and could possibly die. Her hand squeezed his tighter as she tried to shake the thoughts from her head. She didn't want to think about losing him. She couldn't. Because if she did, she would surely break down.

"Still nothing?" Jimmy asked, popping his head into the room.

Cassie shook her head. "How's Scott?"

"He just woke up. Asking how Petey is." Jimmy sighed. "I wish he'd just wake up, be the normal Petey we know and love, and then take him home."

"Me too Jimmy." She looked at him sadly. "Tell Scott I hope he feels alright soon."

"Will do. Get us is anything changes."

"I will." She nodded as he left, leaving her alone with Petey.

Cassie sighed as she looked at his face. It looked so innocent; so peaceful. He didn't look like he almost died, or that he could. He just looked like he always did when he slept. That's one thing she loved about Petey, he always looked so innocent and peaceful when he slept. There was no witty comebacks, no perverted jokes, he was just himself. He was just Petey. And she loved that. It was his best asset.

"Mom?"

Cassie's eyes widened as she heard his voice.

"Mom?" he repeated.

"I take that as an insult." She smiled slightly.

Petey's eyes flew open. He looked around before his eyes fell on her. As he saw her, his eyes widened.

"I'm not dead?"

"Didn't I tell you I wouldn't let you die?" She squeezed his hand tightly. "I wasn't about to lose you. The guys weren't about to either."

"But…the kidney?" he questioned.

"Scott. He was the one compatible." She answered.

"Scott? He…he gave me one of his kidney's?" he asked in the smallest voice.

"Course he did. Your like a son to him." Cassie nodded.

Petey just looked away.

"How are you feeling?"

"In a lot of pain." He replied. "But better than before."

"Good." She couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you're alright."

He never replied.

"Petey? Are you okay?"

"I'm not dead." He mumbled, as if trying to believe it himself.

"No your not." She stood, hand still in his, and sat on the bed beside him.

"I can't believe it. I thought…I mean I felt it."

"Well you can thank us later." she put her free hand on his face, forcing him to look up at him. "I'm glad your still here. I don't think I could handle not having you here."

He just looked up at her.

"What? I know that look Petesy." she used the familiar nickname.

"Its just." He looked at her. "I kind of made a fool out of myself because I thought I was dying."

"What do you mean?" she looked at him oddly.

He closed his eyes. "With the…I love you part."

"Oh." She fell silent, remembering that.

"I'm sorry…I mean I probably didn't know what I was doing you know…almost dying and all."

"Petey, you don't have to make excuses." She stopped him. "It's okay."

"How is it okay Cas, I told you I loved you. How can you be so calm about it?" his eyes still closed.

"Because I'd rather have you here loving me than not to have you here at all." She stated. "But it doesn't matter. Look, you love me, I understand that. But that doesn't have to ruin anything."

"Yes it does. Your never going to look at me the same now." He mumbled.

"Well course I cant, you wont open your eyes." She chucked.

Petey opened his eyes and rolled them. "You know what I mean Cas."

"Look Petey, you're my best friend. You, Alex, Chris, and Jimmy all have something special to me. Jimmy can always make me laugh and make me feel comfortable in the worst possible times, Chris knows me the best, knows everything about me. Alex I've been friends with for a long time, we just have that connection. And you, you knew how to get in my heart. You were that emotional help. Whenever I was sad, or was scared, you always knew how to help me. You always knew how to get in my heart and head and keep me calm, keep me safe. That's what I love about you…just right now, with everything happened, with just getting Alex back, almost losing you, and now getting you back, I-I just can't think about my emotions right now, or how I feel about people. There's just too much happening inside that I can't handle figuring it all out at once."

Petey reached up with a hand, and wiped away a tear that had fallen. "So what your saying is that you need time?"

"See, you can always decipher my ramblings." She smiled and nodded. "And yeah I do. Its just too much right now."

"I get it." he nodded. "Sorry I put so much on you."

"Its not your fault…in truth…I blame the government, they're usually at fault for most things."

Petey laughed but stopped, feeling pain. "If I weren't in pain, I'd hit you for your randomness."

Cassie laughed. "Aww, poor you. Guess I can make a fool out of myself then, since you cant hit me."

"Hey, when I'm out of this bed, your so getting your butt kicked." He grinned.

"I'll hold you to that." She rolled her eyes.

"CASSIE!" hearing her name shouted in unison by her friends, she jumped off the bed, almost tumbling to the ground.

"What?" she grumbled, grabbing onto and chair and held herself up.

"We told you to tell us when he woke up!" Jimmy exclaimed with a grin.

"Well sorry." She rolled her eyes. "We were kinda trying to talk here."

"Too bad, talk later." Alex stepped into the room.

"Hug me and I'll get Cassie to castrate you." Petey warned Alex.

Alex pouted. "No fair."

Chris rolled his eyes and hit him over the head. "How are ya doing Pete?"

"Still in a lot of pain, but better than before." He answered.

"That's great." Jimmy came over, and hit Cassie in the head.

"Ow." She pouted. "That hurt."

"Stop the pouting." Chris rolled his eyes, causing them all to laugh, excluding Petey, who was still in pain.

"Don't make me laugh…really…it hurts too much." Petey now pouted.

"Oh god…she's corrupted you." Chris looked on in mock horror.

"Not funny Chris." She stuck a tongue out at him.

"What its true." Chris shrugged before a hand came up and hit him.

"What the heck was that for Alex?" he glared at him.

"I felt left out." He shrugged with a smirk.

"And I was scared of missing this." Petey rolled his eyes. "You guys are crazy."

"Hey, your crazy too…your just in a hospital bed in pain…that doesn't mean your not crazy." Jimmy pointed out. "Like remember that time when you me and Chris got drunk…and you decided you wanted to fly, so you started prancing around the living room."

"Shut up." Petey crossed his arms loosely over his chest and pouting.

They all laughed as blush fell onto his face.

"Aw…did Mr. Williams think he was a faerie?" Alex cracked up.

"Aw, don't make fun of the guy." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Anyways, you did the exact same thing once."

"I did not!" he shook his head."

"Yeah you did. When you were seventeen and I was sixteen. We were at a party, everyone was getting pissed drunk except me, and you thought you were a faerie…a very pretty faerie." Cassie remembered with a smirk.

Alex blushed as well. "I thought we discussed never to talk about that."

"Sorry, I mentally forgot." She chuckled.

"Oh this is good." Chris laughed, wiping a fake tear away.

"Well what about you Chris. Huh? Don't you remember that night after we were training, we decided to go to a club and get smashed. Well we did that, and decided on picking up girls…only you did…but the thing was…it wasn't a girl…it was kinda a drag queen…I had to drag you away. You were pretty angry too I think you liked her…I mean him...I mean…" Alex laughed.

Chris paled as he remembered the tale.

"Alright, lets stop talking about this now."

"But I never got to hear anything embarrassing about Cas." Petey complained from the bed.

"And that's a good thing." Cassie nodded rapidly.

"Well I have one of her." Chris smirked.

"Lets just not." Cassie shot him a warning look. "Jimmy never got an embarrassing story either."

"Yeah, but yours are so much better." Chris chuckled.

"Yeah, not loving you right now Chris." She glared at him.

"But this is so funny." He couldn't help but laugh.

Cassie folded her arms and pouted, hoping one of the guys would help her.

"Hey, no sulking." Alex nudged her.

"No fair." She continued to pout.

"Ahem."

They all stopped their talking as Mr. Williams walked into the room.

"Who's being unfair now?" he raised an eyebrow.

"They are." Cassie pointed at the four. "They're being quite mean."

The guys rolled their eyes.

"Hi dad." Petey piped up.

Mr. Williams smiled as he walked over to his son's bed. "How are you feeling son?"

"Been better." He shrugged. "I'm glad you came."

"Of course I did. You're my only son."

"Thanks." Petey smiled. "But you kind of came in at the wrong time. I was hoping to get a story about Cas here."

Mr. Williams laughed before nodding. "I'll come back to check on you later."

"Alright dad. Thanks again."

He nodded before leaving the room, leaving the five to their own devices.

"So back to that story…"

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**A/N: yay! Petey is okay :D now im happy...no more tomatoes being thrown at me looks around with wide eyes ahem...so, how'd you all like?**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty-Nine:**

"I don't think you should be up walking yet." Cassie chewed down on a fingernail as Petey slowly walked from the living room into the kitchen.

"Cas, I needa walk or I'm going to go crazy." He sighed as he paused for a moment to try to stop the pain that was shooting up his leg.

"Yeah but your leg is still hurt from the accident. You should just rest."

Petey began walking, but then time, towards Cassie. He stopped in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Cas, look at me. I'm perfectly fine. I'm not the walking dead, so keep cool all right? I have to walk to try to get the strength back in my leg. You know I cant handle staying out of action for too long." He gave her a small smile.

She sighed and nodded. "Fine. But if you get tired, or whatever, just please lie down."

"I will don't worry. I'll even have you carry me from the spot I'm in." he smirked slightly.

"Haha, like I could carry you and your fat ass." She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Hey! I have a good ass. Very nicely toned." He defended.

"Uh huh." She waved his comment off as she began walking around him and towards the living room.

As she walked past though, Petey smiled wickedly and slapped her ass. Cassie whipped around and gave him the finger before hitting him upside the head and heading back into the living room.

"You shouldn't be hurting a hurt man!" he called after her with a grin.

"Fuck off Pete." She shot back.

Petey just laughed and he slowly strode over to the fridge, grabbed out two sodas, and proceeded back into the living room.

"No fair, you're on my bed." Petey pouted as he waltzed over.

"It's the couch Petey." Cassie rolled her eyes. "The bed is upstairs."

"But I was sleeping on there." He folded his arms over his chest loosely.

"Too bad." She smirked up at him before grabbing the remote and turning through some channels, not wanting to continue watching Jerry Springer.

"Hey I was watching that!" Petey complained.

"Not anymore." She chuckled.

"You should be nicer to the hurt." He grumbled as he slowly sat down next to her on the couch, dumping the cold soda into her lap.

"Ugh." She quickly pulled the soda can off her lap and glared at him. "Thanks."

"No probs." He stuck his tongue out.

"This is why I'm not nice."

"Well if you're not nice, than I'm not nice, then you're not nice, than I'm not nice, etcetera etcetera." Petey shrugged.

Cassie rolled her eyes as Petey went for the remote control, in which she had dropped previously to grab at the can. She quickly snatched it up though, sending Petey a large smirk.

"I like how much slower you are when your hurt."

"Not nice." He frowned.

"Sorry, remember what you said, when your not nice, I'm not."

"Not cool Cas." He said before yawning.

"Looks like someone is tired." She chuckled.

"Shut up." He stuck his tongue out again before laying his head against the back of the couch and closing his eyes.

"Seriously though, are you tired?" she asked, a bit more seriously.

"A bit." He mumbled.

"Do you want to lay down?" she questioned, starting to stand up.

"No, don't get up." He shook his head.

"But if you're tired you should lay down." She pointed out.

"Just stay." He grabbed onto her arm, pulling her back onto the couch, yet closer this time. "Just stay."

She raised an eyebrow but shrugged as she looked back at the TV. She almost smiled when she noticed that she hand landed on Spike TV, which just happened to be airing the latest Impact. As Petey slowly drifted off to sleep, Cassie sat forward, watching the action as Chris and Sonjay with Jay lethal, took on Roderick and Austin, with Alex in their corner. Her heart fluttered as Alex yelled at the fans that were booing as Roderick got the upper hand on Sonjay, sending his back in repeated back breakers. Butterflies now existed in the pit of her stomach as Alex rolled his eyes, and went back to filming the match with his traditional smirk plastered on his face.

"You still love him don't you?"

Cassie snapped out of her thoughts and glanced over her shoulder at Petey, who was now looking at her.

"I thought you were sleeping?"

"I woke up." He stated. "Answer the question Cas."

"Do I have to?" she asked quietly, sitting back on the couch.

"Yes." He nodded.

She sighed. "Truthfully, I don't know. I mean yeah, but…I don't want to ruin the friendship I just got back. So loving him wouldn't go well. And as much as everyone says it, I know Alex is dead set on staying with Jackie. I wish it wasn't true, but I know it. I can just tell by the way he talks. He wants to prove a point. So he will."

"That's stupid though. You both love each other." Petey rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but you know the history of me and Alex, we're not exactly the smartest ones around. So yeah I guess I love him, but I know nothings going to happen. At least not unless he tries first."

"He already did. You just didn't want to admit it." Petey pointed out.

"I know. Thanks for the bad memories Petey." She glared at him. "Its just that, I don't want to be hurt, he doesn't want to be hurt. Why bother trying to figure it all out? He's happy, I'm happy. Not truly, but we're getting there."

Petey nodded. "I still think you should just tell him. It's going to get worse if you don't."

"I just finished telling you I can't." Cassie sighed.

"So? The worst thing is to love someone and not tell them."

"I know." She shrugged. "Its just hard. I just want everything to go back to normal. I just want to be happy again."

"And you wont be if you tell him?"

"Can you just drop this Petey? It's giving me a headache." She rubbed her temples, beginning to grow frustrated.

"And what if you aren't completely happy? So what if he rejects you? He'd be a jackass if he did, but if he did, then move on. Its not easy, but other people have to deal with it. So you should too." He insisted.

"Yes well, again, I've been hurt before. I really don't want that to happen again. I don't want to be rejected. I just want to be happy. I want someone to want me, and not just be off and on."

"Alex does love you. So tell him."

"But he's with Jackie Petey, I'm not going to ruin their relationship." Cassie sighed

"I doubt he's serious about it Cas." Petey rolled his eyes. "She's just the rebound girl. The one that's supposed to make you jealous."

"Yeah well he's doing a good job with that." She muttered and stood up. "I'm going upstairs."

Petey opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't as she just turned and walked around the couch and towards the stairs. He groaned as he slowly got up and tried to follow her, but found he was going much slowly than she was.

"Ugh, Cas, don't go upstairs, you know I cant go up them yet." He moaned.

"That's the point." She called down as she traveled up the staircase.

"Come on Cas. Don't get upset over this." he sighed, and leaned against the wall beside the stairs.

Cassie turned around and glared down at him. "Why not?"

"Because its stupid. You love him, but you wont tell him. You want to be with him, yet you don't want to ruin Alex and Jackie's relationship even though it's completely a dud. Either tell him how you feel, or move on. Simple as that."

"Its not that easy." She took a step down.

"Yes it is Cas. It's very easy. Choose one. Tell him, or move on. Its not rocket science." Petey shrugged.

"This isn't something you can just do rock-paper-scissors with. It's a hard thing to figure out." She took a few more steps down until she was half way down the stairs.

"Why not?" he asked. "I'll do it for you."

Cassie rolled her eyes as she walked down the remaining stairs and sat on the third last stair.

"You'd have me move on if it were up to you."

"No. If it were up to me, I'd have you tell him." He proved her wrong. "I'd rather you be with him, then be miserable. But you don't want that. You say you don't want to get hurt again. Yet you're hurting yourself now. By keeping this all inside, your hurting yourself."

Cassie fell silent as she thought about his words. He was true, but she couldn't tell Alex. She knew he probably knew she loved him. But he had to hear it from her and not the guys. And she wasn't sure she could do that.

"So choose Cas. Tell him, or move on." Petey slowly sat beside her on the stair.

"I cant choose." She replied softly.

"Yes you can. And you better do it soon." He advised.

"Why?" she asked, looking into dead air.

Petey inhaled sharply as his heart rate rose. He didn't know why, but he wanted to kiss her. It was a sudden want, he knew that. But he couldn't help but love that look on her face. The sad, contemplative look was just so appealing to him. He just wanted to take her face into his hands, and kiss her.

"Because." He shrugged. "The longer this goes on, the longer your going to be hurt."

"But…" she bit her lip, not knowing what to do. "I can't do it. I can't choose. Its too hard."

"No its not Cas." Petey shook his head. "Its quite simple."

"But what if I tell him and he rejects me?" She turned her head and looked at him.

"Well then he does. Then you forget about him, keep your friendship, and move on." Petey said.

"What if I move on, and I miss my chance with him?"

"Well then you lost something great, and you should have told him…. but…." Petey paused, not sure if he could continue, as his conscious was yelling at him not to.

"But?" she asked.

Petey sighed. Could he go on? He wasn't sure. She knew he loved her. But could he actually finish what he started? He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want her to make the wrong decision in the end. But then again, everything he was telling Cassie, was true for himself as well. He either had to take a chance, or move on. And unlike her, he was willing to take the risk of rejection.

"Petey?" she raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

"But there's always going to be others. You may love Alex now, but there's other people who feel the same about you." He told her quietly.

Cassie starred at him, not sure of what to say. She knew he was talking of himself, but how was she supposed to respond?

"Look Cassie…" he cupped her cheek. "You're my best friend, and I want you to be happy no matter what. But right now, you're not happy. You say you are. But I know your not. You can end this all right now. Tell him or move on…which is it?"

"I-I don't know." She stuttered, realizing just how close Petey actually was to her.

She shuddered slightly as Petey's thumb rubbed a small circle on her cheek repeatedly. His hands felt so soft on hers, so comfortable.

"Choose one Cas." His face fell more towards her until she could feel his breathing on her skin.

"I-I…" she stuttered again, slightly scared at the raw emotions she was feeling at every length of breath that fell on her from him.

"Cas…"

"I…" she started but fell silent after loosing her will to continue.

Petey froze there for a moment, contemplating on if he should take the first move. The slow rise of doubt fell through him. What if she pushed him away? He says he wouldn't care. But he knew he would. He'd be crushed. And he knew it would be awkward between them, potentially ruining their relationship they just got back. Could he risk that?

Though what Petey didn't know, what that Cassie was thinking quite possibly, the opposite of him. And quickly showed him in one quick action. Without neither knowing what was happening, Cassie bent her head up and slowly captured his lips in a soft, yet deep kiss.

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**A/N: hahaha, im so good at just leaving these off at the good parts eh:P**

**well just be happy i updated...i blame being sick...am i the only one that gets extra creative when sick...if i am, then i really am odd...oh well...anyways, i had some deep story thoughts while driving to, hanging in, and driving home from Ottawa this weekend, so expect some more updates hopefully soon**

**speaking of which, how do you all think this little kiss if going to play out?**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty:**

Cassie pulled back, her cheeks flushing madly.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She looked down, completely embarrassed.

Petey couldn't help but grin as he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her closer, connecting his lips with hers. Cassie quickly replied, allowing for tongues to be introduced into the meeting. The two were so preoccupied, that neither heard the front door open and close.

"Hey guys. Your door is open. You know that isn't good right? I mean a mass murderer could just walk right in here and kill…" Alex's voice blabbed on until he reached the stairs.

Cassie and Petey immediately broke apart, the blood quickly rising to their faces.

"Oh, um…sorry to interrupt." Alex scratched his head, looking between the two closely. He couldn't help but feel his heart break slightly.

"This isn't what you think it was." Cassie stated, standing up from the stairs.

"So you two weren't locking lips then?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, it is what you think it is." She mumbled, looking back down.

Even if it were a brief moment, he saw that look in Cassie's eyes. He knew it all too well. She was in love. And it wasn't with him. It was with Petey, the man who's always loved her back. Alex had to admit that it hurt to see that. But, his conscience was right. He couldn't risk losing his best friend again. He couldn't let her go just because she didn't feel the same towards him. He would just have to suck it up and live with it.

"It's about time you two got something going." Alex plastered on a smile, trying to make it seem as true as possible.

"What?" Cassie's head snapped up.

"Oh come on." Alex rolled his eyes. "It was kinda clear. Or are you two that dense? Okay, so Petey is, but whatever."

Petey rolled his eyes as he slowly stood, leaning against the wall so he wouldn't have to put weight on his now aching leg. He had a feeling Alex wasn't being truthful. He was hurt, probably heartbroken. He knew Cassie came back because she loved him. And now? Now she was seen kissing Alex's best friend, her best friend. If the situations were reversed, Petey knew he'd feel the exact same heartbreak. And yet, Alex wasn't freaking out. He wasn't complaining, he wasn't going all protective like he did with Chris. He was trying to pretend there was no hurt there. He was, for once, being Mature.

"Okay, so I'm going to go, don't want to interrupt whatever you guys were gonna do next." Alex winked at them before turning around. "I'll lock your door so no one interrupts you again. Can't be too careful eh?"

Cassie looked back at Petey, who shrugged. Neither was really sure of all of this. Was Alex really willing to forget about his feelings, for his friends' happiness? It was a question that neither Cassie nor Petey knew the answer too. It was something that was a complete mystery.

"See ya." Alex called back at them before closing the door.

Cassie let out a sigh of relief before looking back at Petey, blush once again rising on her cheeks. Petey just smiled before the two slowly walked back into the living room quietly. Meanwhile, outside, Alex just stood on their porch steps. He wasn't able to move. The hurt just felt so deep. It hurt so much that he couldn't help but look back, through the window that looked into the Living room. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the two sit on the couch together, Cassie curled up at Petey's side, his arm around her ever so carefully. It pained Alex to see that. But he knew, as much as he wanted to barge in there and take Cassie away from Petey, he couldn't do anything like that. He just got his best friend back. Everything was okay. He couldn't ruin that. And anyways, wasn't it him who was so keen on dating Jackie? Wasn't he the one who made himself believe he liked Jackie so much? Doesn't he at least owe it to himself to at least try to love her?

* * *

"Excited?" Alex asked, leaning against the entrance of the tunnel.

"Excited, scared shitless, the same thing basically." Cassie smiled weakly.

Alex rolled his eyes. "You'll be fine. You're the best women's wrestler in TNA, you'll do great."

"You know you just insulted your girlfriend right?" Cassie raised an eyebrow after sighing.

"Yeah I know, just don't tell her I said that." Alex winked.

"Your gonna have to bribe me on that." Cassie smirked.

"I'll tell everyone that you and Petey are together if you say anything." Alex countered with his own smirk.

Cassie pouted. "No fair."

Alex laughed. "Come on, my music is about to go on."

"Still don't get why I can have my own." She grumbled.

"Because you love mine so much." Alex stated before the familiar music burst through the Impact Zone. "Now go."

Cassie gave him the finger before bounding up the tunnel, Alex following behind. Cassie paused to pose at the top of the stage, Alex doing the same beside her. She stole a glance at him, his arms folded over his chest, smirk plastered on his face as he looked at Jackie, who was standing in the ring, slightly shocked. Though Cassie could clearly see something beyond that fake look. He really did like Jackie. That admiration in his eyes, it was hard for him to hide. And Cassie had to admit, it was a bit hurtful. But she quickly shook these thoughts away. She was technically with Petey anyways. And she did have a large attraction towards him. I mean, if she didn't, would she really be having a secret relationship with him for the past two weeks now? Probably not. So she couldn't be jealous of Alex and Jackie right?

"I know you're nervous, but you do have to go to the ring." Alex nudged her softly with his elbow.

Cassie nudged him back before sending him a small smile and following him down the ramp. Once she was at the ring, looking up at Jackie, who was holding onto the Women's title like it was her lifeline, she couldn't help but feel all her nerves vanish. She's fought the best of the best around the world, she's been one of the few to be invited to different events, being sometimes the only woman in it, and yet, she was nervous about a simple match against a woman, who wasn't even all that talented. Cassie almost had to laugh at how stupid she was. She could easily take down this woman, who could hardly call herself a wrestler, in a few set of moves.

"Cas." Alex said pointedly, now up on the apron.

'Sorry' Cassie mouthed before sliding into the ring, allowing for Alex to help her up once inside the ropes.

"You're a spacer still huh?" Alex asked as he jumped up onto the nearest turnbuckle, and sat on the top of it while Jeremy Borash announced the Women's title match.

Cassie rolled her eyes as Alex pulled her arm so she was standing between his bent legs, resting his arms on her shoulders.

"This next bout is for the TNA Women's Championship, ending in a pin fall or submission. To my right, as the challenger, being accompanied by Alex Shelley, hailing from Windsor Ontario Canada, Cassie Collins! And to my left, She is the current TNA Women's Champion, hailing from Dallas Texas, by way of Ohio, Jackie Gayda!"

Cassie eyed as Jeremy Borash left the ring, allowing for the Ref to enter, and take the belt from Jackie. He then walked over, allowing for Cassie to cast a look down upon the title she so wanted to be hers.

"Ready?" Alex asked as the Ref walked to the side, handing the belt off.

Cassie looked over her shoulder at him before nodding. She was more than ready to take what should have been hers from the start.

"Yeah." She inhaled sharply.

"You'll do great." Alex grinned at her, maneuvering his legs so he could jump off the turnbuckle and onto the ring apron. "Just keep focus."

"So pretend like I'm kicking your ass then." Cassie leaned against the ropes, smirking at Alex.

"Pretty much." Alex nodded before snorting.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Alright, well wish me luck."

"Good luck." Alex winked. "And remember, no disfiguring, she is my GF you know."

"I'll try my hardest." She winked before pushing at his chest lightly. "Now go."

"Well aren't you pushy." He smirked before jumping down to the ground.

Cassie gave him the finger before turning to face a timid Jackie. She just couldn't help but smirk as she watched Jackie bite her lip. She wasn't surprised Jackie was a bit scared to be fighting her; she was probably one of the best women wrestlers currently. But she wasn't going to let her ego get to her. She was in this match for two reasons. One, to capture what she knew was for her, and two, to give TNA a real champion. And she wasn't about to let herself of anyone else down.

* * *

**A/N: YAY!!! i updated, and on a monday, shocker! okay, well i didnt update on the weekend, like i usually do, so i did owe you guys at least one story update. so here we go. Cassie and Petey are together...but secretly? hm...wonder what thats about? and its clear that Cassie and Alex still have feelings for one another...but will that effect their relationships? oh...and whats gonna happen in the match?...and will Lassie ever get Timmy out of the well?**

**haha, sorry, went a bit too far on that one . just too excited of this story lol.**

**Well until next time**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty-One:**

"The Winner of the match, and the new TNA Women's Champion, Cassie Collins!"

Cassie held her midsection while trying to calm down her rigid breathing. She barely heard the announcement, her mind was too fogged. She never expected what Jackie gave her. Cassie came into this match, thinking it was going to be one of the easiest she's had. But that definitely wasn't the case. Jackie clearly had been training. And she had a clue as to who. Straight off the bat, Jackie played dirty. The same dirty ways as Alex did. He must have been training her. Not that it was odd that he would, as they were going out. She just wished she had some warning, considering she wasn't expecting Jackie to actually be good as a wrestler. It definitely made their match interesting. Cassie quickly had to change her strategy of the match after she was thrown over the ropes and to the ground beside Alex. Thankfully, everything she learned in Japan, was able to have a say in her winning, allowing for her to use the high risk, the agility that she was taught. She worked her ass off after realizing that wasn't going to be an easy match. And thankfully, it worked. She was now the champion. She had what she wanted. And she was glad.

"Cass, you did it!" Alex whispered excitedly into her ear as he slid into the ring beside her, the title belt in his hand.

Cassie shook the thoughts from her head as she looked at Alex. She couldn't help but grin as she saw the excitement on his face. It was times like these that they truly were like one. Ever since they were kids, they could always feel the happiness that the other did. If something great happened to Alex, or the other way around to Cassie, then the other would feel it. Alex wasn't the one who won the belt, but he clearly felt how much this meant to her, how happy this made her. And Alex clearly wasn't afraid to show her how happy he was that she finally got what she deserved.

"I can't believe I actually won." She hugged him quickly.

"I told you you would." Alex rolled his eyes as he held out the title. "I think this is yours."

Cassie smiled and took the title graciously. She just let it laid in her hands. The gold plate reflected her face, showing the smile that she was sure would never fade off her face. She couldn't help but run a hand over the title carefully, trying to take in the texture, every inch of the belt. As she did so, her heart started to race in excitement. She felt like she was truly happy, knowing she had this belt. It just made her life at the moment, that much more better.

"Ready to get up?" Alex asked, finding his way to his feet, holding down a hand for her to take.

Cassie looked up at him and nodded as she held onto the belt in one hand, and grasped his with the other. Once she was on her feet, Alex raised her hand in the belt, letting the TNA Fans cheer her on. This just made her grin further, her happiness finding its peak.

"come on, we better go, we're holding the show up." He teased.

Cassie nodded as they slipped from the ring, slowly making their way up the ramp. Once backstage, Cassie began her celebration ceremony; jumping up and down, pumping her fists into the air. Alex meanwhile was just grinning as he watched her. He knew she was happy. He was happy for her.

"Congrats CeCe." He told her.

Cassie stopped her cheering and looked at him before throwing her arms around his neck.

"thank you thank you thank you." She mumbled over and over again as Alex hugged her back.

"what did I do?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"you made me believe in myself." She grinned up at him. "you always were able to do that."

"is a gift." He shrugged and grinned back at her. "you always had it in you. Your Cassie Collins, the best damn female wrestler of the decade."

"see, your doing it again." she gave him another hug.

Alex chuckled, though he was secretly wishing she would stop. Being this close to her, it brought back those feelings he didn't, no, wasn't supposed to have. It was hard for him, to have her this close, and not be able to reach down and just kiss her. Every inch of his body wanted too, so badly. But he couldn't. he couldn't do that to Petey, or to Cassie. They were happy together, Alex knew that. He knew he couldn't ruin that happiness. So he just simply held back

"hey."

Cassie and Alex both looked around and caught Petey standing there, a smile adorning his lips.

"hey." Cassie grinned.

"congrats babe." He wrapped an arm around her once she made her way over.

"thanks." She looked up at him.

"let me guess, your so hyper right now, that you wanna go partying."

Cassie nodded rapidly.

"come on, we'll let you get dressed, and then we can get a head start to the club." Petey smirked, winking at her.

Cassie rolled her eyes and pushed his shoulder.

"hey, no abuse to the boyfriend." Petey pouted.

"your such a wimp."

"well you can make it up by kissing me." Petey stated.

"oh really?" Cassie raised an eyebrow.

He just simply nodded.

Cassie chuckled before moving up onto the tip of her toes and capturing his lips. Alex winced silently as he turned his head. He couldn't bare watching them kiss. It still hurt everytime they did. That, and he didn't want the two to catch the jealous look that he was sure had planted itself on his face. He just couldn't help it. he so desperately wanted to be Petey, kissing and holding her. But he wasn't. he was just the best friend. Again. and that killed.

"Alex?" Cassie asked once they were done kissing.

"yeah?" he looked back over, trying to keep his head bowed.

"your gonna come partying tonight right?" she asked, not even noticing the way he was acting.

"totally. I'll meet you guys later. I'll just go with everyone else." Alex nodded.

"okay. Thanks again Lex." She grinned at him before allowing Petey to take her hand and start leading her away.

"anytime CeCe." Alex sighed, but knew she didn't hear him.

"you look awfully Jealous." Chris observed from the sidelines.

"what?" Alex jumped, obviously not expecting anyone to have said anything.

"I said you look awful Jealous? Anything going on that I should know about?" Chris asked, leaning against the wall, eyebrows raised.

"no, nothing at all." Alex shook his head nervously.

Chris cocked his head to the side, knowing something obviously was up. "what's going on Alex. I know you, there's definitely something up."

"why would you say that? There's nothing going on. I swear." Alex defended.

"really? Than why are you defending yourself so much?" Chris smirked.

"I am? Or well, there's really nothing to worry about, nothings going on, I swear." Alex took a step back, wishing he could just run off.

"oh come on Alex. I know we've had our rough patches, but I still consider us best friends you know. I deserve some kind of honesty."

Alex bit his lip.

"just tell me what's up?" Chris pushed himself off the wall.

Alex scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out what he should do. He promised both Petey and Cassie he wouldn't tell anyone about their relationship. But it would have to come out eventually right? But then again, Alex knew that if he were the one to tell everyone, Cassie would never forgive him. Which was something, he didn't want to happen. But on the other hand, Alex was starting to hate the situations he was in, always lying to other people, or himself. For once, he wished he could just be honest. But at what price? Was he willing to finally be honest, and hurt the woman he truly did love? Alex wasn't so sure anymore.

"Alex?" Chris asked.

Alex sighed heavily before looking at his friend, his mind made up. He just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass sometime soon.

"what I tell you, can't be told to anyone, and I mean anyone." Alex looked around the hall, making sure only he and Chris were around.

"yeah sure man. I promise." Chris nodded.

Alex paled a bit before nodding as well. "okay well, remember how after Petey's accident, Cassie took care of him."

"yeah." Chris nodded.

"well, they kind of got close during that time."

"close? What do you mean?" Chris looked at him confused.

"they're kind of secretly together." Alex got out.

Chris' eyes widened. "whoa, what?"

"you heard me." Alex peered around the hall once again.

"wow. Seriously? That's crazy." Chris ran a hand through his hair. "wait, if it's a secret, than why do you know, when I don't?"

"I walked in on them kissing for the first time. So I've been in the loop." Alex explained.

"okay, that makes sense. But, why wouldn't they tell me?" Chris asked. "I mean, its not like I would be mad or tell anyone or whatever. They're my best friends, I'd be happy for them. I am happy for them."

Alex shrugged. "I just think they want to see how things turn out before they start telling people. I don't think Cassie wants the same thing to happen with you, for her and Petey."

"but they could still tell me. I'm one person." Chris stated.

Alex again shrugged, feeling a slight dread of telling Chris. "I don't know Chris. Maybe they thought it would hurt you or something."

"why would it hurt me. I'm over Cassie. Okay, not over, I still love her. But I want her to be happy. She knows that."

"I don't know. Look, you know now okay?" Alex tried to calm Chris down.

Chris narrowed his eyes. "but I had to hear it from you."

"hey, you were the one that wanted to know." Alex defended.

"shut up." Chris grumbled, a frown adorning his face. "I have to go think. I'll talk to you later."

"just make sure you don't tell anyone!" Alex called after Chris.

But Chris didn't have the plan to tell anyone. The only plan he had, was to confront the two.

* * *

**A/N: w00t (sorry, stole that from Em) another chapter finally! took long enough eh? well i was bored today, now excited for reasons and need to bide my time, so i decided to finish this chapter...**

**Alex clearly still loves Cassie. he should have just done something right off the bat. now she's with petey...but...Whats going to happen when Chris confronts them? i see trouble brewing up ahead...**

**but until next time...**

**X. **


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty-Two:**

"Petey." Cassie warned Petey. "We're in catering, we cant do that."

"But its not my fault I cant keep my hands off ya." Petey smirked, rubbing small circles on Cassie's upper thigh.

"And whose is it then?" Cassie crossed her arms.

"Yours. For being so damn sexy." Petey licked his lips.

"Gross Petey." Cassie rolled her eyes. "Behave."

"But." Petey pouted.

Cassie smacked him over the head before catching site of Chris walking through the door to catering.

"Hey, there's Chris. Really behave now." Cassie gave Petey a pointed look.

Petey frowned and removed his hand from Cassie's though, crossing his arms in the process. Cassie chuckled at him before grinning in greeting as Chris made his way over to them. Though her grin immediately was wiped off her face as she saw the anger plastered over his face, and especially in his eyes.

"Hey Chris. Something wrong?" Petey asked, noticing the look as well.

Chris' eyes narrowed as he looked between the two. Cassie and Petey exchanged a look, a look of dread falling over them.

"When were you two going to tell me? Or were you never going to?" Chris asked, getting straight to the point.

"What are you talking about Chris?" Cassie asked.

"You two." Chris pointed his finger at the two. "When the hell were you going to tell me that you two were seeing each other?"

Both Cassie and Petey paled considerably as people at nearby tables started to stop their conversations and turn and watch.

"W-what?"

"You know what I'm talking about Cas. Were you ever going to tell me you two were locking lips? Or were you going to keep it a secret forever?" Chris held onto the edge of the table as he glared at the two.

Petey gave his friend an apologetic look. "Look Chris, we're sorry. It was just…"

"It was just you wanted to keep your little thing a secret. What, were you afraid of something? What's there to be afraid of? Everyone would have been happy for you two. That's all they would have been you know." Chris' voice began to rise, now grabbing the attention of the whole room. "Or were you afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it? Which is ludicrous as you two are my best damn friends. You know I just want the best for you two. So why the hell did you keep this from me? From everyone?"

Petey stood up. "Look man, we didn't want to just push this on everyone. We just didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Hurt anyone? Didn't you hear what I said Petey? Or was your thick skull in the way? I would have been happy for you two!" Chris practically shouted.

"Would have?" Cassie looked up at him.

Chris looked at her, and felt his face grow colder as he saw the innocent look in her eyes. Oh how he still wanted her. He never stopped loving Cassie. How could he? He had been in love with the girl for years. It couldn't just be gone by one little break up. He still wanted to be the one to hold her, to kiss her. He wished they were still together like they were before the whole Alex situation happened. But he couldn't be mad at Alex for it. He just loved her too. Which just made Chris angrier. Both he and Alex loved Cassie. Did Petey? Or was she just a regular girl to him? Did he love her with all of his heart, like he and Alex did? Or was she nothing but someone to have sex with?

"I would have been happy for you two if you actually told me." Chris sneered. "But I had to be told by Alex. Which by the way, the guy still loves you Cassie. Do you know that? Do you know that he still has that jealousy, the same one I'm sure he has when you two kiss in front of him. It was just like when you and I were together. You know I used to think he was being selfish. But I see his reasoning. It's no fair. Its like you're playing us Cas. You have sex with Alex, but say it doesn't mean anything. You go out with me, but we break up because of you loving Alex. And now you're just stomping on both of our hearts while you make out with Petey. What's next? Are you going to do the same to Petey too? Will he be joining Alex and I one day as the jealous best friends?"

Cassie's mouth gaped open as she looked up at Chris with wide eyes, not believing what he was saying. Petey on the other hand, was feeling the anger as his clenched his fists.

"Chris, back off." Petey narrowed his eyes, ignoring the group of people that was starting to form around them. "She's not trying to hurt anyone. You can't help who you like."

"But you can help who you hurt." Chris stood up straight, glaring at Petey. "But she clearly didn't even care about anyone."

"You know she cares about you and Alex. But maybe she deserves an inch of happiness considering everything that's happened lately." Petey defended.

"And whose fault was that? She was the one that ran off to Japan. She was the one that was afraid to tell Alex how she actually felt. Its her own fault she ended up parading around as a slut." Chris spat.

A gasp fell over everyone as Chris stood back and smirked.

"You did not just say that." Petey shook his head, completely flabbergasted.

"I think I did." Chris nodded smugly.

Petey gritted his teeth as he glared dangerously as Chris. He didn't even say anything as he jumped over the table and tackled Chris to the ground. The crowd backed up as the two rolled around, grabbing at each other, punching with all the might they had. Cassie stood up as a tear rolled down her cheek. She glanced at the two boys fighting before turning and pushing past the crowd of people. She heard her name being called, but she ignored them as she made her way over to the other entrance into catering. She quickly slipped from the room as yells and threats came from the fighting men.

"Cas? Everything okay?" Alex asked, stopping in mid step as he caught sight of her.

"Y-yeah." She nodded, but found herself trembling as more tears fell down her face.

"CeCe? What happened?" Alex immediately walked over, grabbing her up in an embrace.

Cassie just pointed towards Catering, finding herself unable to speak. Alex raised an eyebrow as he rubbed her back, meanwhile, glancing in through the open door, and catching a small glimpse of Chris and Petey fighting on the ground. Alex cursed himself as he held Cassie tighter. He knew something like this was going to happen. He should have just kept his mouth shut, like he was supposed to.

"Shh Cas. Calm down." Alex tried to cease her crying as he moved them down the hall a bit, away from the ruckus in Catering.

"But…" Cassie looked up at Alex before feeling slightly angry. "Why did you tell him? Why did you have to ruin it all?"

Alex looked down at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It's just; he came up, and wanted to know what was going on. And well, Cas, he did deserve to know, as he is our best friend."

"Ex best friend." Cassie looked away. "He called me a slut."

Alex looked down at her surprised. "Seriously?"

Cassie nodded, trying to stop herself from crying ever further.

"Damn." Alex muttered. "He wasn't supposed to get mad."

"But he did. Now he and Petey are fighting." Cassie sniffed looking back up at him. "Do you really still love me?"

"W-what?" Alex's eyes widened by the question.

Cassie brought a hand up to wipe away the tears. "Do you still love me?"

"I, um…" Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "Cas…"

"Its an easy answer. Yes or no." Cassie asked.

"I, um…look, its complicated Cas."

"No its not. Do you love me or not?" Cassie asked, growing a bit impatient.

Alex mentally cursed himself before looking away. He didn't know how to answer he. Of course he still loved her. He never stopped loving her. But he couldn't ruin her and Petey's relationship. She was happy. Or he assumed she was. He wasn't going to go Chris' route. He had already done that, and ruined Cassie's romantic relationship with Chris himself. He couldn't do that to her again. But then again, could he lie to her face, and tell her that he didn't even have the slightest feelings of love for her?

"Well?" Cassie asked impatiently.

He looked back at her, and felt his heart melt as he looked into those hazel eyes he knew all too well. Those orbs looked up at him, with desperation, determination, and what shocked him the most, was that of sadness. She looked so sad. It was only hours ago that she was so happy. And now, now she looked broken, sad. It tore his heart apart. He just wanted to hug her, to hold her and tell her everything was all right. He just wanted to be able to kiss her on the lips, soothe her, and be able to make everything right.

"Alex?" Cassie broke his thoughts.

Alex knew what he wanted to do was wrong. But he couldn't help himself. He needed to do it, finally, for once and for all.

Alex cupped Cassie's cheek in his hand as he lifted her face up to his. He leaned in a bit before stopping an inch before her lips. He apologized softly before capturing her lips with his own. The pressure began soft, but soon turned deep and hard, passionately even. It was as if he was sucking the life out of Cassie, as she just stood there, allowing for the kiss to happen. But she soon snapped back to reality, and pushed Alex back, glaring up at him with hurt written in your eyes.

"Alex, what the hell!" Cassie felt her eyes well up with tears. "Why did you do that? Why did you have to do that?"

"Cas, look I'm sorry." Alex instantly felt guilty.

"No your not." Petey's unexpected voice came from a few feet away. "That's what you've been wanting to do for forever now. You know what. You win. I give up."

"Petey." Cassie gave him a desperate look. "He kissed me, I swear…Petey come back."

But Petey just kept on walking.

* * *

**A/N: sad how i wrote this all while being dead dead tired. oh well. thank god the holidays are coming in like two or so days.**

**well i thank my muse for this, as she gave me all the ideas.**

**now theres definitely trouble in the air...Chris went angry on them, got in a fight with Petey, Alex kissed Cassie, and Petey watched it happen...damn...is it even possible for anyone in this story to be happy for more than 5 minutes? lmao, i guess we'll just have to wait.**

**till next time.**

**X.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty-Three:**

"So I'm guessing you and Alex are fighting again." Matt mused, looking over at Cassie.

Cassie sighed and shrugged as she looked around Generation Next's locker room. "I don't know. Maybe not fighting. I'm just mad I guess."

"Which is understandable." Matt nodded. "Considering. What about you and Chris?"

"Again, I don't know. He hasn't tried to talk to me since Tuesday at the tapings." Cassie sighed, leaning back against the wall. "How did everything get so messed up so fast?"

"That's life Hun." Matt gave her a sympathetic smile. "It tends to do that."

"Yeah I guess." Cassie nodded. "Speaking of relationships, how are you and Becky doing?"

Matt's eyes brightened. "Amazing. It'll be six months on Monday."

"Wow, that's amazing." Cassie gave him a small smile. "Congrats."

"Thanks. I really love her." Matt's eyes glazed over.

"I can tell." Cassie chuckled. "Hey, it's getting late. I told Ali I'd head by her and Chris' locker room to say hi before the show started. Tell the boys I'll be back soon once they get here."

"Will do." Matt nodded as he picked up the tape beside him. "Have fun. Just not too much fun."

Cassie rolled her eyes and stood up. "Stop fantasizing about things that you shouldn't Matt."

"Hey!" Matt stuck his tongue out at her as she laughed and left the room.

Cassie continued to laugh quietly as she walked through the halls of the convention center they were in for the ROH show in Chicago. It was a bit larger building, but still held that small town sort of feeling, making it easy to find anything. She had only been walking for five minutes, and had already found herself in front of the locker room she was aiming for. She quickly knocked, waiting patiently for someone to open the door.

"Oh hey Cassie." Chris Daniels smiled as he motioned for her to come in. "Ali, Cassie's here!" he shouted towards the bathroom before smiling back at her, rolling his eyes. "That woman takes forever."

"She does eh?" Cassie nodded in agreement, smirking at Allison as she walked out of the bathroom, clad in her usual ring attire for the night.

"Not nice Cas." Allison sent her a teasing glare.

"Hey, he was the one who said it, I was just agreeing." Cassie defended with a grin.

"That's true." Allison smirked, smacking Chris upside the head.

"Hey!" Chris rubbed his bare head. "That hurt you know."

"You'll live Mr. Fallen Angel." Allison rolled her eyes before sending her attention to Cassie. "So how are ya Hun?"

"I'm alright I guess." Cassie shrugged, taking the chair Chris offered her. "Been a rough week, but then again, when do I ever not get a rough week."

"Touché. You seem to be having some bad luck as of late." Allison nodded, sitting on the bench across from the chair. "Has Petey answered any of your calls?"

Cassie shook her head. "He didn't even go home like he usually does. He's staying with Eric instead."

"Ouch." Allison gave her a sympathetic look. "But don't worry. He just needs some time to think. He'll come around."

"Yeah, I guess. I hope so." Cassie sighed. "I really don't want to mess this relationship up. I don't think I could handle knowing I'm hurting another best friend, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Allison nodded, glancing quickly at Chris, who had his back to the girls. "I know what you mean."

Cassie raised an eyebrow at her as she caught the look. She tried to mouth to Allison what was up, but Allison just grew beat red and shook her head. Cassie shrugged and leaned back in the chair, trying to contemplate what was going on between the two. It was common knowledge that Allison and Chris had grown rather close, as they've been working together for years now. No one knew though, just how close they were. Both made it quite clear they were just really good friends. But after seeing that look, Cassie clearly saw more than just friendship. And she felt determination to get to the bottom of it. If she couldn't be completely happy, she was determined to make sure her friend was.

"So, anyways." Allison ran a hand through her brown hair, her face almost back to its original color. "Apparently we're tagging up tonight to take on Daizee Haze and Lacey."

"I thought those two hated each other?" Cassie raised an eyebrow.

"They do. That'll be humorous eh?" Allison winked. "Just as well, means they'll be bickering a lot, and not paying attention. Which of course means…"

"That we'll be able to kick their ass's with ease." Cassie grinned, finishing the sentence. "Now I'm in a good mood."

"Just watch out for the Embassy." Chris turned back around, finishing up taping his wrists. "They didn't look to happy earlier when I saw them coming into the building."

"That's why we have GN." Cassie smirked.

"Speaking of GN, is Alex going to be a part of it now?" Allison asked.

Cassie frowned and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess from the last show it would seem obvious."

"How are you going to feel about that?"

"I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I'm mad at the guy. But I don't think I hate him. You know, just for that fact that…" she trailed off.

"For the fact that you actually love him?" Allison offered.

Cassie's face immediately went the same beat red that Ali's was minutes ago. "I was going to say because I don't think I can handle being in another fight with him."

"Oh. Well I like my answer better." Allison winked.

Chris rolled his eyes as he walked over. "You know you should really stop kidding yourself Cassie."

"Huh?" she looked at him confused.

"You came back because you loved him correct?"

"Actually, I was kind of tricked into coming back if memory serves me correct." Cassie pointed out, but frowned as Chris gave her a pointed look. "Okay, well maybe. But I can't hurt Petey like that. And anyways, I don't know anymore. I mean, yes, I still have feelings for Alex, I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But then there's Petey. I mean, I can't just say I don't have feelings for the guy, because I do. I'm not sure if it's love, but I do really like him."

"You loike him, don't you?" Allison looked at her.

Cassie raised an eyebrow at Allison because letting out a chuckle. "Yeah, I'd say that."

"Wait, loike?" Chris looked between the two, confused.

"We made it up in Japan." Cassie began to explain.

"It's between liking someone and loving someone. There's not really anything that describes that feeling, so we just came up with loike." Allison grinned, stifling a laugh.

"Uh huh." Chris raised an eyebrow. "You two are officially crazy."

"I agree." Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Allison grinned.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but is our girl in there?" Austin's voice came from the other side of the door.

Cassie looked down at her watch and mentally slapped herself. "Damn, I told Matt I'd only be gone for a little bit."

Chris rolled his eyes as he walked over and let Austin in. "take her, she's being a nuisance.

"Hey! I am not." Cassie pouted.

Chris rolled his eyes as he patted her on the head as he passed her. Cassie hit his side before standing up and turning towards Austin.

"Hey Austin." She grinned. "Sorry about keeping you guys, got a bit carried away with talking."

"No prob." Austin waved it off. "It's not like its important."

"Well that's good. Lets not go to the locker room then." Cassie suggested, taking his arm as they left the room.

"Your going to have to work with Jack you know that right?" Austin rolled his eyes.

"Oh no, its not Jack that I'm gonna have a problem with." Cassie shook her head. "Although he may be that problem if he doesn't keep being an ass."

"I know what you mean." Austin shook his head. "He was being annoying before I eventually just got up and left to get you."

"We should hit him." Cassie stated.

"I agree." Austin laughed before turning serious. "Look, don't worry about the whole Alex thing. He's not even here tonight. He has an IWC show tonight, so he's not here. He'll be at the show tomorrow night though."

Cassie let out a long breathe. "Well that's a reliever for now."

Austin rolled his eyes. "Don't forget you still have to work with Jack."

Cassie scrunched up her nose and pushed him slightly. "Thanks for the reminder."

"No problem, any time." He smirked, pushing her back.

Cassie just laughed as the two continued down the hall, oblivious to the smirking man lurking in the shadows.

* * *

**A/N: w00t...another chapter done...who would have though eh? lol.**

**so, not that dramatic of a chapter, decided to tone it down a bit, as theres been alot of stuff going on lately. i just wanted to have a fun, laid back kind of chapter, with just a hint of suspense at the end. hm...i wonder who that can be...and for what reason? hm...interesting...**

**oh, and the word 'Loike' wasn't made up by me...i give credit to Katie and Emily who apparently made that, or whatever. i was trying to figure out what to write, than i remembered one dya while we were walking home from school, and that word was brought up. so bang, it fit perfectly.**

**so until next time...**

**X.**


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty-Four:**

"Why do I have to go out with him?" Cassie asked, glaring across the room at the equally upset Jack.

"I don't need her." Jack pointed across at her.

Roderick sighed. "We're a team. You may not like each other; you can hate each other if you want. But as soon as you leave this backstage area, and are in that ring, you're a team. No matter what. You two are going to have to start learning how to fake it, because its going to happen whether you two like it or not."

Both Cassie and Jack glared at each other until Matt smacked Cassie over the head, and Austin did the same for Jack.

"behave." Matt whispered in her ear, nudging her a bit.

Cassie rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless.

"Alright, since we have that figured out…" Roderick ran a hand through his hair. "We have to talk about tomorrow, with Alex coming back into the group and all."

"Why can't that ass just be out on his own, like he deserves?" Jack asked, folding his arms.

"Because, he's our friend."

"Just remember it's your own fault that you don't like Alex or I, its not ours." Cassie shot at him.

"Whatever Hun, he was the one who got me involved with you. God knows I'd never go out with a two-timing bitch like you." Jack smirked at her smugly.

Cassie gritted her teeth. "Me a two-timing bitch? What about you? You cheated on me, not the other way around."

"Its not like it was hard to see coming." Jack rolled his eyes. "You just wouldn't give me any."

Matt put his arm around Cassie's waist to keep her in place. "Come on you two, calm down will ya."

"He started it." Cassie accused.

"And now we're going to finish it." Austin sighed. "Come on you two, at least try. We know you both hate each other, and for good reason…"

"Thank you, at least someone agrees with me." Jack interrupted with a proud look.

Austin shot him a dirty look. "I wasn't talking about you."

Jack frowned as Cassie sent him a smirk.

"As I was saying…" Austin shot Cassie a pointed look, in which she bowed her head. "No matter what, we're a team out there. So act like it. Or else we're going to just fall apart. And if that happens, the Embassy is just going to pick us off, one by one. And I know no one here wants them to have that kind of glory. So can we at least try to work together?"

"Whatever." Jack grumbled.

"What he said." Cassie shrugged.

"Okay, thank you." Austin looked at Roderick, who have him a tired look. "We have our match coming up. So we'll see you three later. No killing each other."

"We wont." Matt assured the two as they began to leave the room.

"Thanks for the idea though." Cassie muttered under her breath.

Matt nudged her before letting her go and walking over to his duffel bag, picking up his ring attire.

"Do you two think you can not bicker while I go change?" Matt looked between the two.

"Yeah yeah, just go." Jack waved him off.

Matt eyed Cassie before nodding and entered the bathroom.

"So, I hear you cheated on Petey. I have to say, I'm not shocked at all." Jack stood, and slowly made his way over to the glaring Cassie.

"Fuck off Jack." She shot at him as he came closer.

"That was supposed to be your job." Jack reached her, putting a hand against the wall beside her, trapping her between the wall and his arm.

"I told you a number of times I didn't want to do anything until I was ready." Cassie told him, not standing down at all.

"But you freely had sex with Alex way before you and I went out. Does that mean you were ready for him, but not me?" Jack's head bent down until he was just whispering.

"I was drunk that night." Cassie began to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"You were drunk many nights for me." Jack smirked.

"Leave me alone Jack." Cassie crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Oh no, see, we're a team are we not? Maybe we should start acting like one." Jack placed his other hand on her hip.

Cassie shuddered at his touch. "Get your hand off of me Jack."

Jack just continued to smirk at her as he began to trail a line up and down her side. Each time Cassie shuddered under his touch.

"Feels nice Cas?" Jack lowered his head to her ear, in which he started to kiss just underneath it.

Cassie felt disgusted as he began kissing down her neck. She quickly lifted her hands up to Jack's chest, trying to push him away.

"Jack, get the hell off of me." Cassie gritted through her teeth. "Jack, stop it. Jack. Please. Stop."

But her pleas were soon caught off as he captured her lips. He pushed hard against her lips, bruising them with his force. Cassie, feeling every inch of her body feeling violated, and completely dirty, began pushing his harder.

"What the hell man!" Matt's voice came from the bathroom door before he rushed over, and pulling Jack away from Cassie. "What the fuck."

Jack just smirked as Cassie as she wrapped her arms around herself, shaking as she tried to ignore his look. Matt looked over at her, and felt enraged at jack's actions. So enraged, that he jumped at Jack, making himself and jack fall to the ground. The two instantly began fighting on the ground, while Cassie watched on helplessly.

"Matt, stop." Cassie took a step towards them hesitantly.

But Matt ignored her, and continued to hit the man he used to consider a friend.

"What the hell is going on?" Chris Daniels' voice came from the now open door to the locker room.

Cassie looked over at him and Allison, who were now standing there. She sent Chris a pleading stare, which he immediately understood. He ran over and began pulling Matt off of Jack. Matt tried to fight back, but Chris kept a firm grip on him, holding him back while Jack slowly raised to his feet, sporting a soon to be black eye, with a bit of blood trickling from his nose.

"What's going on?" Chris looked between the two men.

"He just attacked me." Jack glared at Matt.

"You were all over her." Matt shouted at him, clearly still enraged. "She was trying to get you off of her, but you wouldn't listen."

Chris looked over at Jack, who was just glaring at Matt. "is that true Jack."

"So what if it is? Its not like the bitch didn't like it." Jack rolled his eyes.

Cassie shot a glare over at jack while Allison wrapped an arm around her friend.

"I think you should leave the room now Jack." Chris told Jack, though his tone held anger in it.

Jack looked between everyone before shrugging and storming out of the room. Once he was gone Matt pushed Chris off of me and walked over to Cassie, who was being comforted by Allison. Seeing Matt, Allison let Cassie go, allowing for Matt to embrace the girl.

"You okay sweetie?" Matt asked, looking down at the girl.

Cassie nodded. "Thanks."

"Anytime sweetie." Matt smiled down at her, giving her one last squeeze. "I think maybe you shouldn't accompany him out there."

"Thank god." Cassie sighed, still holding onto Matt.

Matt kept a firm grip on her as he looked at Chris and Allison. "You know I could have killed him and our problems would have been solved."

"Because going to jail will be solving all over our problems." Chris rolled his eyes sarcastically.

Matt shrugged. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Our match is coming up after Roderick and Austin are done theirs." Allison piped up, looking at her friend sympathetically.

Cassie looked over at Allison and nodded, loosening her hold on Matt. "I guess we should go to the curtain than."

Allison nodded.

"Want me to come with?" Matt asked.

Cassie looked up at him and smiled. "Sure."

Matt grinned down at her as he moved his arms so one was wrapped around her shoulders. "Great, lets go."

* * *

**A/N: yay, a new chapter :) hehe.**

**Damn stupid Jack...i kinda feel bad for making that guy evil...oh well...gives it a new twist lol. **

**till next time**

**X.**


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty-Five:**

"You can't be mad at me forever Petey." Cassie said through the closed door to the room Petey had planted himself once she had shown up on Eric's door step a few days later.

"Go away." He retorted back in a mumble.

"Come on Petey. We have to work this out." Cassie sighed. "You have to listen to what really happened."

"I saw enough." Petey said, sounding hurt. "You two kissed. I get it. You love him, he loves you. I'm not stupid. Well I guess I am for thinking I could actually get you."

"Petey, it's not like that. He kissed me. I pushed him away. I swear." She begged with him.

"Yeah, after a few minutes." He pointed out. "I saw it Cas, I saw what happened. You didn't exactly look like you hated it."

"I did! Petey, please. I hated it. I wish Alex never did that. I like you. I don't want to be with Alex. Remember, you told me to either tell him or to move on. I chose to move on. I want to be with you." Cassie pleaded.

"You didn't move on Cassie! It takes two to kiss!" Petey shouted out of frustration.

"But he kissed me!"

Petey gritted his teeth in the room before stomping over and throwing the door open. He glared down at Cassie, doing so with so much passion, that she stepped back, slightly taken back.

"Its just like before. When you were with Chris, and you slept with Alex. It takes two to have sex. I thought maybe it would be different. But clearly, you never moved on. Face it Cas, you just can't be with anyone but him. God, I wish you would just stop playing us, when you clearly know your going to hurt us."

Cassie opened her mouth to respond, but Petey just shook his head and shushed her.

"Don't Cas. Chris was right. I'm just like him. Naïve to think that there could be anything. God. I'm so stupid." Petey shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Petey, I didn't want to hurt you. I don't want him. I swear." Cassie pleaded.

"No Cas, don't lie. You do." Petey gave her a hurt look. "Don't insult my intelligence. I know how you feel. I never should have given you that ultimatum. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have gotten hurt. Now what do I have? Merely a broken heart. And in the meanwhile, I lost the girl who wanted to be with me. I should have just stayed with Traci. She at least was true to me. God I'm an idiot."

"Petey…" her eyes watered.

"It's over Cassie. You hurt me. And truthfully, I don't think we ever we meant to be together." Petey turned towards the hall and stepped out of the room.

"Petey please." She begged.

"No Cas, there's no going back after that. Just go." he took a few steps forward, his back now to her.

"But…" a tear fell down her cheek.

"Go. Please Cas. You've hurt me enough."

Cassie's bottom lip quivered but nodded silently. She turned, looked over her shoulder as Petey walked in the opposite direction, and headed towards the stairs.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Eric asked later that night as they sat at a bar.

"Not really." Petey shook his head, looking at the table with glossy eyes.

"Sorry." Eric gave him a sympathetic frown.

"No, it's not your fault." Petey shook his head. "Its mine. I was too stupid to think it would actually work out. God I feel like an idiot for defending her when Chris was saying everything. I should have just listened."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you Petey." Eric said softly.

"But the fact is that she did." Petey shook his head. "I don't want to be in a relationship where there's that ever growing lust for Alex with her. I can't do that. If I'm going to be with someone, they have to want me, and not my best friend."

"I get that." Eric nodded. "Just don't do anything stupid because you're hurt. You tend to do that."

Petey smiled slightly. "Don't worry E.Y. I don't plan to. And if I try to, hit me. I'm tired of getting myself stuck in situations."

"Good." Eric smiled. "So we're just going to have a quiet evening then right?"

"Don't worry E.Y. yes." Petey nodded.

"Alright good." Eric sighed out of relief.

* * *

"She definitely needs a new way of handling things." Bobby shook his head as he watched Cassie down her fourth beer rather quickly from across the room.

Johnny Devine nodded. "That girl is tearing it up. How much alcohol can she take in!"

"You don't want to know." Bobby rolled his eyes. "We should really stop her before she does anything stupid."

"Maybe we should just let her drink a bit more. I mean she has had a rough night. Maybe she just needs a good drinking session, to try to drown out her problems. At least for a bit. I mean, it's either that, or she's going to jump on the next plane to Japan." Johnny pointed out.

"Which none of us want." Jimmy stated from behind the two.

Bobby and Johnny looked behind them and saw the familiar man who had a face of stone. Jimmy's eyes traveled over to Cassie, who was now seen downing her fifth bottle of beer. He shook his head as he frowned and began walking towards her. He ignored the other two, and continued walking, until finally he made it through the crowd in the crowded bar, and reached the seemingly enough, almost purely drunk Cassie.

"Cas, I think that's enough." Jimmy shook his head at the bartender who looked like he was about to give her another beer.

Cassie turned around and looked up at Jimmy angrily. "Go away Jimmy. I want to get drunk."

"This isn't going to help matters Cas. Its only going to make them worse." He advised.

"How is this going to make everything worse? Its already as low as it gets." She waved the bartender on, letting him place another beer down on the counter.

Jimmy sighed as she picked it up and took a rather long drink from it. Before she could take too much more though, Jimmy snatched the bottle out of her hands.

"Hey!" she growled, trying to grab at the bottle. "Give it back"

"No Cassie. This isn't the answer to your problems."

"Yes it damn well is." She glared at him. "Now give it back."

Jimmy shook his head as she placed the bottle down onto the counter and grabbed her upper arm, and began to drag her towards the exit of the bar. Cassie tried to struggle from his grasp, but in her state, she was barely able to put much strain on Jimmy's small frame.

"Jimmy, let go of me."

Jimmy shook his head thought and brought her through the exit of the bar. Finally, once outside and away from the bar, Jimmy turned and let Cassie go. She grumbled a few curses as she rubbed her arm while glaring up at him.

"What do you think your doing Cas? Drinking away your problems?"

"Yes. I do think that's what I was doing." She replied.

Jimmy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come on Cas, I know your hurting right now. I can understand why, but you can't just drink away the problems you have. You can hurt yourself by doing that."

"Good." She crossed her arms. "Maybe that's the point."

Jimmy looked at her confused. She just sighed and looked away.

"Maybe I want to get so drunk I end up doing something stupid and get hurt. Hell, just anything to drown the pain. Do you even know what its like Jimmy? To have as much pain and hurt as I do right now? I really didn't think it was possible for this much pain, but apparently, it is."

"Cas, I get that. But you can't do this to yourself. There's ways to stop the pain. There's ways to work out your life so it's not like this." Jimmy pointed out.

"I could always run back to Japan, that usually sorts everything out." She turned, as if already set on what she had just said.

But Jimmy quickly stopped her by her shoulders and turned her around. "Don't even think about going back to Japan Cassie. Stop doing this to everyone."

"Why cant everyone stop doing this to me then Jimmy? I'm tired of getting hurt!" she exclaimed, pushing his hands away from her. "I'm tired of being hurt by the people who I thought were my best friends. I'm tired of it. I just want it to stop."

"Then make it stop. Fix what's wrong." Jimmy said.

"Petey wont talk to me, Alex keeps screwing everything up, and Chris is mad at me. I can't exactly fix this Jimmy."

"You can always fix things. Nothing is unfixable." He took a step forward.

"Well this is." She shook her head, taking a step backwards. "Screw this, screw everyone. I'm tired of this. You know what, maybe I damn well will go back to Japan. Its a lot better than this place."

"Cas, come on." Jimmy sighed.

"No, fuck off Jimmy. For once, just leave me alone." Cassie glared at him before brushing past him and towards the sidewalk.

"Cas!" he yelled after her.

But she just continued walking, until finally, she was out of site. Jimmy groaned before digging in his pocket for his phone. He quickly dug his fingers into the familiar numbers and brought the phone up to his ear.

"She's running again."

* * *

**A/N: hm...well, alot happened...**

**Petey is hurt and tired of everything now, so that romance is over...Cassie, who i believe is acting rather like a close bitch, is about to go run off to Japan, or at least try to...and i somehow feel in the air, that these two are going to do a few things that arent going to be good...hm...but what could that be?**

**till next time.**

**X.**


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter Fifty-Six:**

"Ugh, what do you want now?" Alex groaned as light flashed across his eyes.

"Dude, have you been in bed the whole entire time?" Matt looked at him.

Alex rolled his eyes and rolled onto his side, placing his back to Matt. Matt sighed as he pushed the curtains back more, allowing in the afternoon light. He was talked into it earlier by Roderick and Austin, to be the one to find out what was going on. Matt just believed the two of them didn't want to deal with a dramatic Alex. So Matt was unwillingly volunteered for the job. Not that he really minded, seeing as he wanted to know why their teammate completely missed the Ring Of Honor show, as well as a few others up in Canada. So here he was, Detroit Michigan, ready to find out some answers. Now if only he could find a way to wake the man up. Or at least get him out of the bed he predicted he had been in since he had come home about a week ago.

"Alex, come on. Have you even eaten? You don't even look like you've left the bed at all." Matt moved around to the other side of the bed.

Alex propped up an arm, giving the man the middle finger. Matt rolled his eyes before grabbing the free arm and pulling Alex off the bed. Alex fell with a thud onto the floor, bringing the sheets with him. He immediately glared up at Matt as he tried to untangle himself.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Had to get you out of bed somehow." Matt shrugged. "And it technically worked."

Alex just remained glaring at him as he finally freed himself and stood up. He glanced down at the bed; he had indeed been in for almost a week straight. He pretty much had only left to go to the washroom. He hadn't even changed his clothes. He couldn't exactly even remember the last time he ate. He didn't care though. Those were the last things on his mind.

"Alex? What's been going on buddy? You completely missed your bookings." Matt shook him from his thoughts.

"I've been busy." Alex mumbled, still looking at the bed.

Matt raised an eyebrow as he glanced as the bed before back at Alex. "Like sleeping?"

"Like thinking." Alex shrugged, finally looking at Matt without a glare.

As Matt's eyes connected with Alex's, he was a bit taken back. He wasn't expecting the emotions to be so rabid in the man's eyes.

"Thinking about what?"

"Stuff." Alex shrugged again, before taking a few steps towards the bathroom.

"Cassie?" Matt guessed.

Alex stopped in his tracks. At the very name, his blood ran cold.

"Dude, you hurt her." Matt said softly. "Petey and her are over. Things are pretty much messed up."

"She damn well loves me." Alex stated barely above a whisper.

But Matt heard. "She may have, but she was with Petey, Alex. She wasn't with you."

"Did you just come here to give me a lecture?" Alex turned, anger now apparent in his eyes. "Because you can just forget it. I don't regret what I did. I love her, she loves me. We're supposed to be together. She can try to fool herself, but we all know its true."

"But Alex, the point is, she wasn't with you. She was with Petey. She may be in love with you, but Petey was in love with her. This broke his heart, man."

"He shouldn't have taken the risk then."

Matt sighed. "But that's what love is Alex, risk. If you don't take risks, then you don't deserve love."

"And I took a risk. I kissed her." Alex shrugged.

"But you hurt your best friend. Both of them." Matt pointed out.

Alex rolled his eyes.

"She's trying to run again." Matt said.

"What?" Alex's eyes widened, all anger vanishing.

Matt nodded. "Jimmy called Roderick the other day, said she's trying to run again. The plane is leaving tomorrow at noon. It's the only plane to Japan for a month, so we know she's going to be on it."

"Why?"

"Because of this Alex!" Matt exclaimed, losing his patience. "Because you kissed her, causing all of this to happen. That girl is hurt, she's confused. She loves you, yes, but she's still hurt. You know she hates hurting her friends. And she hurt Petey. And in return, he had to hurt her. If I were her, I would leave to. Over the months, she's gone through hell with everything. And worst thing about it, is the fact that she loved kissing you Alex. That girl is crazy for you. But she's confused. She doesn't know what to think. And when that happens, she runs. Third time's the charm; she's gone this time. She'll leave, and this time she won't fall for tricks. She'll be gone for good. Once she steps foot on that plane, she's as good as gone."

Alex looked down after Matt stopped to take a breather. He didn't want her to go. He knew she'd be gone forever. He couldn't let that happen. But he was scared. He was scared of all this. He had never felt this way before, with anyone. But the way he loved Cassie, that frightened him. He never knew this kind of love before. He wasn't sure if he could handle it. He was scared of where it would take him, of what could happen. And most of all, he was scared of rejection, again. He didn't know if he could handle getting rejected by Cassie again. He surely would lose it, and probably do something stupid. And he didn't want that to happen. But neither could he just let her walk out of his life. He couldn't let that happen either. But what was he supposed to do?

"Alex, don't you get it? She's going. And you're the only one you can stop this. We can't pull another trick to get her to stay. We can't get someone else to try to stop her. The only one who can is you." Matt sighed.

Alex looked up. "But what if I go through all the trouble, and she just rejects me again?"

Matt, a bit surprised at the soft and scared tone, gave him an encouraging smile. "She won't Alex. She loves you. You love her, so go stop her. Before she leaves us again."

Alex still wasn't sure though.

"Alex, who do you see standing beside you? When you look into the future, whose standing beside you?" Matt asked.

Alex looked away. "Cassie."

"Then go fight for her."

* * *

**A/N: back again...i know, its short...so sue me :P i needed a late reliever from my Business Project, so i thought i'd write...its short...but sweet...**

**and i have to do this... :**

**dances Alex and Cassie might finally get together dances some more...w00t!!!!!!! lets just hope he actually goes and does it.**

**anyways, till next time...**

**X.  
**


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter Fifty Seven:**

Alex sighed as he cracked an eye open. Today was the day. He was going to let everything out. Every last emotion, every last feeling. It was all being let out.

And all Alex could think about was not rushing to the bathroom to vomit.

"Why the hell did this have to happen?" Alex grumbled as he starred up at the ceiling as his stomach churned.

It wasn't that he was feeling sick. It was nerves. What if everything went wrong? It wasn't as if Alex's life had been going excellent up to this point. What would make today different? What if she rejected him? What if she just left?

He just couldn't take it. But yet he knew he had to. He had to at least try. He'd feel guilty if he just let her walk out of his life without even trying to keep her in it. He had to try to keep her here, to keep her a part of his life. Even if he had hurt her, even though she hurt him, they were still a unit. He needed her. She was all he really had. He didn't have parents. He didn't have siblings. She was his family. She always had been. So to know that she wouldn't be in his life anymore, to not be that family he needed, Alex was scared. He wasn't sure what he'd be capable of without her. Either he'd be a miserable bastard, a conniving bastard, or a suicide freak. He personally didn't want any of that to happen.

_Rrring! Rrring!_

Alex groaned as he looked over to his cell phone on the bedside table. He had a feeling it was one of the guys, making sure he was still going to the airport. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. He didn't trust himself too. So he just simply turned over onto his side, putting his back to the ringing phone.

Eventually though, the ringing stopped, making Alex sigh out of relief. Maybe they realized he didn't want to talk.

But unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Seconds later, his house phone began ringing off the hook. Alex groaned. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Not even the answering machine stopped them. They just kept hanging up and calling. The ringing began giving Alex a headache. Which combined with his nerves, it wasn't helping anything. So finally, Alex threw his covers off and angrily walked out of his room. Minutes later, he was walking into the kitchen, where the phone was placed. He was just about to grab the receiver when the answering machine clicked in. curious as to see if they would finally leave a message and leave him alone, Alex let the message go through.

"_Alex? Are you there?"_

Alex was shocked to hear it was Jackie's voice, and not that of one of the boys. Out of anyone, he wasn't expecting her. But then again, he kind of was. He was expecting to be yelled at for what happened at the tapings.

_"I guess not. Well, we need to talk. Like really need to talk. But um…I was all ready to tell you this, and then you go and not be there. Okay, so this isn't the best way to say this, over the answering machine and all, but I have no clue when I'll get the nerve to say this again. So here it goes."_

Alex readied himself for her to tell him that they were over.

_"I'm pregnant. And it's yours."_

* * *

"So…should we call and see if she stayed?" Roderick asked casually.

Austin looked up from his plate of food. "You think she did?"

"No clue." Roderick shrugged. "I hope so."

"If she did…I wonder if they're together." Matt mused.

Roderick and Austin raised an eyebrow.

"What? Well if he told her how he felt, and if she stayed, its not like she denied how she feels about him."

"True." Austin nodded. "I don't know though. I mean, look at everything's that happen. There have been so many road blocks, that I doubt this will just magically put them together."

"I guess we can hope." Roderick said. "So should we call?"

"Yeah I guess so." Matt nodded. "I call not doing it though. I already had to talk Alex into doing it."

"And don't look at me, I'm eating." Austin shook his head as Roderick glanced at him.

Roderick sighed. "Fine, I'll take on the role of the concerned friend then."

"Good for you Roddie." Matt smirked.

Roderick sent him a small glare before slipping out of his seat.

"Tell them hi from us." Matt smiled innocently.

Roderick rolled his eyes before exiting the small diner they were eating lunch in. once outside in the cool wind, he flipped out his phone and dialed the memorized number.

* * *

"Hello?" Alex quickly caught the phone at the last second.

"Hey Alex, its Roderick."

"Oh hey what's up Roddie?" Alex asked before glancing into the living room, smiling at the familiar girl sitting on the couch.

"Oh, not much. We were just hanging out. Thought we'd give you a call to see how everything went?" Roderick stated casually.

"How what went?" Alex asked.

"You know, earlier today at the airport."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What about the airport?"

"You're kidding me right."

"I'm lost Roddie, what are you talking about." Alex scratched the back of his head, completely confused by what his friend was saying.

"Alex, tell me you didn't forget." Roderick's voice held panic.

"Forget what?"

"The airport. Cas. Tell me your just shitting me."

Alex looked down, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

"You were supposed to go to the airport to stop her. To tell her everything." Roderick stated in a frustrated tone.

It was then that everything clicked in. Alex's head popped up, his face completely pale. He had forgotten. He completely forgot.

"You didn't. This is all a joke right?"

"Oh god." Alex whispered before falling into a close by chair. "Oh god."

"Alex! What the hell!" Roderick's voice turned angry. "You were supposed to keep her here. And you just forgot about it!"

Alex winced, though he knew he deserved every minute of this. He completely forgot about the airport, about stopping Cassie. But how could he forget? It was all he could think about last night.

"Alex, are you almost done in there?" Jackie's voice came from the living room.

Alex couldn't believe it. He was so caught up with Jackie that he totally forgot about his best friend. What did he do?

"Is that Jackie?" Roderick asked.

"Maybe." Alex replied quietly.

"What the hell is she doing there Alex?"

"Um…" Alex rubbed his forehead.

"Alex, you asshole. You're such a selfish ass. You let your best friend, the woman you love, leave forever, because of that slut!"

"She's not a slut." Alex found himself saying in defense.

"And you're defending her? Do you know what you just did Alex? She's not coming back. She's gone." Roderick's voice rose.

Alex closed his eyes tightly. "I know. But…"

"And now you're just going to try to justify yourself! What the hell can be more important than stopping your best friend from doing the biggest mistake of her life!"

"Jackie…she's um…. she's pregnant." Alex paused for a minute. "I'm going to be a father."

Silence reigned after this announcement.

"Roddie? You still there?"

"I don't give a fuck if there's a tornado, that's not an excuse to completely forget about Cas." Roderick found himself yelling.

"But…"

"So what if she's pregnant! How do you know its yours? She could have slept around. She doesn't exactly have the best track record."

Alex frowned. "But…"

"No, fuck you Alex. You made us lose her. And now there's no way of getting her back. You're a bastard. I hope if it is yours, that your child never becomes anything like you."

"Roddie…"

But it was no use, Roderick had already hung up.

* * *

**A/N: w0oh0o!!!! i finally updated!!! took me long enough...lol...got inspiration by randomly watching Impact and Xplosion constantly lol...so here it is**

**and I'm so f'n evil...**

**Jackie's pregnant...Alex forgot about going to the airport...Cassie's gone...**

**but...don't worry...theres a silver lining to everything...some more drama too ;)...u just gotta stay tuned to figure out what my crazy mind has come up with this time.**

**until then...**

**X.  
**


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter Fifty Eight:**

"So, back here again." Low Ki mused as Cassie laid her bag onto her bed.

"It's a good thing I kept this place." Cassie sighed.

"Why are you here Cas?"

"I thought I said I didn't want to talk about it?" she gave him an annoyed look.

"Hey, I was there, I was at the tapings. I know what went down there." Ki held up his hands. "But you're leaving because of that?"

"Maybe." She shrugged before passing him and leaving the room. "Its complicated."

"Believe me, I know complicated. This is just stupid." Ki followed her down the stairs.

"Its not stupid Ki." Cassie stopped once on the ground floor and glared up at him.

"To an outsider, it kind of is." Ki stated. "Your running away from your problems. For the third time. Why not just stay there and work through it. That's the only way to make everything okay."

"I'm tired of trying to fix everything. Anything I do just turns all wrong." Cassie shook her head, turning back around and walking towards the living room.

"So how long is this trip going to be then? A week? A month? A year? How long?"

"Forever." She replied.

"Forever? That's a long time Cas." Ki pointed out.

"Good job Sherlock." She rolled her eyes, as she sat down in the comfortable couch.

"Cas, come on." Ki sighed, sitting beside her. "You can't really stay here forever. This isn't your place. It's a vacation spot. Eventually you have to go back."

"Yeah, maybe I'll go to the states every five years. You know, see whose president, and see how crappy the world has become."

"Cas…"

"Look Ki, I know you're just trying to be a good friend. And I thank you for that. But I just got off a very long flight after a very long week. I don't really want to have to justify everything to you right now." Cassie looked at him.

Ki sighed. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow. And I will eventually want answers Cas. You can't just push me away."

"I know Ki, I know." Cassie nodded.

"Oh, and I'm not going to be in Japan as frequent anymore." He mentioned as he started towards the front door.

"What? How come?" Cassie asked.

He shrugged as he glanced over his shoulder. "TNA and all. ROH got a hold of me too. Gabe and I are trying to talk things out. So I won't have much time to come out here much anymore."

"Oh." She frowned. "Does this mean we wont see each other?"

"Course we'll see each other. Just not as much as before." Ki assured her. "But you know, if you came back, you'd see me a lot more."

"Not going to happen Ki."

"I know." He nodded. "If it helps, Steve is coming out here for an extended tour next week."

"Haven't seen him a bit."

"I'll tell him to watch over you."

"You don't have to do that Ki. I can take care of myself." Cassie said.

"I know." He nodded, opening the door. "See you later Cas."

"Yeah, bye." She nodded.

* * *

"I can't believe him." Austin kicked the wall angrily.

"You've been saying that for a week." Roderick pointed out.

"I know. But still. I can't believe him. He's such an asshole." Austin said.

"Hey, your not the only one." Roderick nodded. "I think a lot of people are not very impressed with him right now. Scott D'Amore especially."

Austin raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently Scott is extremely angry at Alex for everything. I passed him in the hall earlier, and he looked ready to kill someone. Lets just say I walked past him quicker than normal."

"Can't blame him. I want to strangle him." Austin growled.

"Who are we wanting to strangle?" AJ asked from the open doorway.

"Alex." Austin's face went dark.

"Ah, can I join in?" AJ asked.

"He might be dead before that though." Roderick stated, glancing at his angry partner. "Austin, calm down man. Keep it for the ring tonight."

"Yeah, no use in wasting all of your energy thinking of killing him." AJ pointed out.

"That's true, I should use it to actually kill him." Austin nodded, standing up.

"Dude, you actually can't kill him." Roderick said.

"Screw that." Austin stated before brushing past AJ and leaving the room.

"Well that went well." Roderick sighed.

"He'll be fine." AJ assured him. "Just needs to cool down. We all just need to cool down."

Roderick nodded. "By the way, do you know if either Chris or Petey know?"

"Scott told Petey, Petey told Chris, both of them are now fighting with each other. When I left catering, Alex just entered, so I'm betting right now, they're probably all fighting." AJ recounted.

"World war three." Roderick sighed. "I guess we should have seen that happening though. Without Cassie, they can all hate each other. She was the glue that held them all together."

"And now that she's not here, they screw their friendships, blame each other, etc." AJ nodded.

"I can't believe this is happening."

"Same here." AJ nodded.

"Sorry to interrupt, but mind lending a hand?" Chris Daniels popped his head into the room.

"With…?"

"Only world war three." Chris left the room.

AJ and Roderick exchanged a look before rushing out into the hallway where they found a crowd beginning to form. They two quickly pushed their way through to the front, where Daniels was waiting for them.

"They just started to actually physically fight." Daniels stated as he eyed Samoa Joe from across the way.

Joe nodded at him before stepping forward into the circle. Taking this as a starting point, the other three quickly dove into the fight, quickly breaking them all up. AJ held Petey back, Roderick had a hold of the surprising Austin, Daniels pushed Chris away from the other three, and Joe was forcing Alex to his feet.

"What do you four think your doing?" Joe angrily shook Alex, who was sporting a nice black eye. "Are you all idiots?"

"Its his fucking fault Cassie's gone." Austin tried to get away from Roderick.

"Do I look like I care?" Joe pushed Alex into the crowd, in which both Andy and Chase grabbed a hold of him, keeping him back.

Joe meanwhile, stood in the middle looking around at all four of them.

"Do you see what your doing? You're turning on each other. You've decided to blame others for your own faults." Joe looked at them in a disgusted manner.

"Technically I didn't do anything to make her leave." Austin stated.

"I didn't ask for your side Aries." Joe glared at him.

"And what about you three." He turned to Chris, Petey, and Alex. "You three are best friends, and here you are, beating each other up."

"Its his fault." Petey pointed at Chris.

"Its not my fault." Chris glared at Petey.

"Fuck that."

"I don't care who you think is the problem Williams." Joe took a step forward. "You were all responsible for this. Every one of you is the cause as to why she's not here right now. Maybe instead of blaming each other, you can be thinking of how you can get her back. That seems a bit more logical then this."

"You have no clue what your talking about Joe." Alex piped up.

"Shut up you little pipsqueak." Joe glared at him, walking up to him. "Do you really think everything you've done has helped anything? Because it hasn't. You're jeopardizing everything by fighting. You lost your best friends, do you really want to lose your job too?"

Alex remained silent.

"Maybe you three should look at what the real problem was before blaming each other. You'll be surprised at what you'll find." Joe shook his head before taking his leave through the crowd.

Everyone remained silent as he left. It was as if everyone was just taking in the last words of the Samoan.

"Well that guy clearly has something stuck up his ass." Alex pulled his arms away from Chase and Andy. "He has no idea of what he's talking about."

"Oh stop being obnoxious." Chris rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you?" Petey shot at Chris.

"Will you three just stop it!" AJ's voice boomed. "Did none of you listen to a word Joe was saying?"

"Don't you get in our business too AJ." Petey glared at him.

"You know what, this isn't just your business. Cassie was my friend too. She was friends with a lot of people back here. You're not the only one who lost her. But if we all went around pointing fingers, we'd all be against one another." AJ stated, glaring between the three. "I'm tired of you three fighting. Get over it. Instead of squabbling like a bunch of babies, go figure out how the hell we're supposed to get that girl back!"

And with that, AJ, like Joe had, left the area. Though this time, seeing it as the time to go, the crowd began to thin down until it was just Roderick, Austin, Alex, Petey and Chris left.

"You can let me go now." Austin grumbled to his friend.

Roderick sighed before letting him go, hoping he wouldn't go and attack Alex. But he didn't. All he simply did was throw a glare Alex's way before turning and leaving down the hall. Roderick shot a quick look between the three before shrugging and following Austin.

"I still say its all your fault." Petey grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Very mature Petey." Chris shot him an annoyed look.

"Yeah well how mature were you when you decided to shout and yell at Cassie for no reason."

"I was angry. You've done the same thing."

"Guys!" Alex's stopped the two before they started fight again. "Just stop."

"Screw off Alex." Both Petey and Chris snapped in unison.

"Its neither of your faults you assholes." Alex rolled his eyes, not fazed at all by their tone.

"Really, then whose fault was it?" Petey said.

Alex bowed his head. "Mine."

Petey and Chris looked at each other before looking at Alex.

"That would make sense." Chris nodded.

"It actually would." Petey agreed.

Alex glared at the two.

"So what did you do this time? Ruin another relationship? Oh wait, you did." Chris snickered.

"Fuck off." Petey glared at him.

Chris held up his hands. "Just saying. No but really, what did you do."

Alex sighed before stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I was supposed to stop her. I was going to tell her everything. How I felt, just everything."

"Really?" Petey raised an eyebrow.

Alex shrugged. "Yeah."

"So you what, went and got rejected?" Chris assumed.

"No. I didn't go at all."

"Wait, so you didn't go? Good job Alex."

"Why didn't you go?" Chris ignored Petey's comment.

Alex shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I forgot."

"How do you forget something like that?"

"Jackie called."

"Wait, so the slut called, that's why you forgot?" Petey found himself getting a bit angry.

"She told me she was pregnant." Alex looked up at the two. "I'm the father."

Petey and Chris' mouths fell open in shock.

"Wait…wow." Chris ran a hand through his hair, completely shocked.

"So because she was pregnant, you forgot all about your feelings towards Cas?" Petey asked. "Because that doesn't make sense considering everything you've done."

Alex sighed. "What would you have done in my position? I was so caught up with the fact that I was going to be a father that I forgot. I didn't mean to. It just happened."

"So she got on a plane, and left for good, because you forgot?" Petey's fists clenched at his side.

"Well when you put it that way…"

"So this is really all your fault." Petey took a step forward. "Your such an asshole."

"Petey don't." Chris laid a hand on his shoulder. "He's not worth it."

"Oh he's completely worth it." Petey growled before brushing Chris' hand off of him and tackling Alex to the ground.

* * *

**A/N: w0oh0o!!! another chapter done in one day...k so technically i'm posting this at 12:40 am Monday...but shhhhh...**

**so...of course those guys fought...wouldn't be a sensible story without those guys fighting lol. **

**but apparently Petey's angry...cant blame him...**

**anyways**

**until next time.**

**X.**


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter Fifty Nine:**

"This has been going on for way to long between you three." Jim Cornette sighed as he looked between the three men sitting in the chairs across from his desk. "Every where I turn, I see you three fighting either verbally or physically."

"There's an honest explanation Jim." Alex interrupted as he held an icepack to the back of his head.

Jim held up a hand to stop him. "As I'm sure there is. But please understand boys, that this is a place of business. I can't have my employees running around thinking they can do whatever they think they want to. There has to be rules and structure. And unfortunately all three of you went beyond that."

"Mr. Cornette, we're very sorry." Chris fidgeted in his seat.

"I understand that Mr. Sabin. And as much as you three are valid parts of the X Division, I cannot just make an exception."

"Your not going to fire us are you?" Petey asked, his face paling.

"No. I'm not about to lose three of my best men." Jim shook his head. "But you three are going to have to deal with the consequences."

The three nodded.

"Now I understand my Women's Champion has once again left the country with little want to come back."

"Yes sir." Chris nodded.

"Can anyone explain to me how this happened? Again."

"Well you see Jim, it's a simple explanation." Alex lowered his hand. "These two nitwits were being asses. Simple as that."

"Us?" Petey looked at him angrily. "You were supposed to stop her and you forgot!"

"Boys! Please." Jim raised his voice to regain control of the situation. "I can see this is more complex than I originally thought."

"You've got that right." Chris muttered.

"But I do have a feeling that for whatever the reason may be, it revolves around you three."

The three bowed their heads.

"Now I can understand if one of my wrestlers needs a break from the ring. But I cannot understand when a wrestler, especially one of my champions, goes off and decides to never come back." Jim shuffled through some of the papers on his desk before pulling out three envelopes. "I just had these faxed over to me for you three."

The three looked quizzically at the envelopes Jim was handing to each of them.

"Inside holds a ticket. TNA is generous enough to go to any length to get to Ms. Collins back." Jim explained.

"So you want us to go to Japan?" Petey asked.

"Yes, essentially." Jim nodded.

"What if we don't want to go?" Alex asked wearily.

"Lets just say Mr. Shelley, that you do not have a choice in the matter. Unless that is you would never like to step back into a TNA ring again." Jim stood. "I expect to see you three, as well as Ms. Collins, back here for our next Pay-Per View. If not, I will have no trouble in firing those who need be."

All three simultaneously gulped as Jim nodded at the door. "You'll find your plane takes off tomorrow. Good luck boys."

They all nodded as they stood and slowly walked from the room. Once the door was closed behind them, they all looked between each other.

"So, what now?" Petey asked.

"We go to Japan." Chris shrugged.

"Yeah, because its going to be that simple." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Well its either that or losing your job. Personally I'd rather keep mine." Chris glared at him.

"Do you really think that if we just show up in Japan, she'll immediately come home? You guys know her as well as I do, she's stubborn." Alex pointed out after a short glare at Chris.

"He does have a point." Petey nodded. "We can't just ride on the fact that she'll forgive us."

"So we come up with a game plan then." Chris said determinedly. "We messed this up enough. Its time we get it right."

"Whatever." Alex shrugged. "I have a match to do."

"Whatever." Petey shrugged before turning. "I have a life to conduct."

"And I'll be the only one coming up with a plan." Chris rolled his eyes.

"You do that, tell us what you get tomorrow." Alex gave him a thumbs up. "Later losers."

"Oh don't forget to actually show up this time." Petey called over his shoulder.

Alex glared at his back before turning and walking away. Sensing Alex was gone, Petey too left the scene, leaving Chris to his own devices. Chris sighed as he looked down the hallway at where his friends just walked down.

"This is going to be a long two weeks."

* * *

"Come on Cas!" Cheerleader Melissa hit the top of the turnbuckle as she tried to encourage Cassie to reach her for the tag.

It was a hard-hitting match between the four women at the ring. It was an international showdown as Cheerleader Melissa and Cassie paired together to take on the Japanese women stars of Hikaru and Saki Maemura. The match so far, showed what true women wrestling really was. Both sides had their equal advantage, both at one point getting the upper hand in the match. And right now, it was the team of Hikaru and Saki who were double teaming Cassie, not allowing for her to tag in Melissa.

Melissa was growing impatient as she saw Cassie beginning to wear down in the match. She had been in the larger portion of it, taking the hard hits, as well as taking the most risks in trying to get their team on top. But unfortunately, everything she tried continued to fail. Cassie tried to shoot elbows at Hikaru, but they hardly fazed the woman.

"Come on!" Melissa shouted.

It may have been an act of god, or a miracle in Melissa's eyes, but sure enough, as Cassie found herself ducking a clothesline, the ref of the match found himself lying face first on the mat. Seeing the opportunity, Melissa quickly ducked under the ropes and went to help her partner. But before she even had a chance, there was a chorus of cheers reigning from the crowd. Melissa looked behind her, and almost received whiplash as the unexpected Alex Shelley slid into the ring and drop kicked the back of Hikaru as she was choking Cassie using the ropes. Melissa looked at him with wide eyes as he quickly set Hikaru up and successfully performed the Shell Shock.

Thinking that was all, Melissa tried to shake the ref awake, but was stopped by Alex. He just simply shook his head as another figure came in and gave an enziguri kick to Saki, who was now in the ring. Melissa fell shock as she saw Chris Sabin gather Saki up for a devastating Cradle Shock.

But yet, the night of surprises did not stop there. Before she could even blink, Petey Williams was slipping into the ring and pulling Hikaru to her feet. He held his hand up before the whole crowd in the arena witnessed just what the Canadian Destroyer can do.

"Get him up." Alex whispered to her before he, as well as Chris and Petey, slid from the ring and walked closer to the start of the ramp.

Melissa, still shocked, but doing as she was told, shook the ref until he was crawling. As she turned, she noticed that the boys had already pulled Cassie on top of the unmoving Hikaru, allowing for an immediate pin by the ref. And after a mere 3 seconds, Melissa was having her hand raised above her head and she and Cassie were declared the winners of the International Showdown match.

"What happened?" Cassie asked, completely dazed as Melissa helped her up.

"We won." She grinned.

"We did?" Cassie looked completely confused. "How?"

Melissa glanced at the three clapping men standing at the end of the ramp. Cassie, following her friend's eye glance, paled as she saw the three of them there, just looking at her. She was completely surprised, not to mention confused as to why they were here. It wasn't every day that the three men you once considered best friends showed up in Japan to help you win.

"Come on." Melissa pulled her arm slightly.

But Cassie shook her head and she kept eye contact with them, and more importantly Alex. He held that sparkle in his eyes, that even from this distance, she could recognize.

"Cas, come on. We have to go." Melissa whispered in her ear.

Reluctantly, she nodded as she followed her lead and left the ring. But as they reached the three guys, they simply moved out of the way, allowing a clear path for them to pass. Cassie felt herself stopping right before them, just looking in between them all. However, after a moment, she simply bowed her head and walked up the ramp behind Melissa, leaving the three men behind.

* * *

**A/N: another chapter...yayness...**

**So they were pretty much forced to do something by TNA...which is good...as without it, i doubt any of them would of without killing eachother. and now they're in Japan...but hm...what will happen now? will they be able to get Cas to come back?**

**until next time...**

**X. **


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter Sixty:**

"Why are they here?" Cassie sighed as she and Melissa entered their locker room.

"No clue." Melissa shrugged as she dropped onto a bench. "But considering they helped us win, I really don't care."

Cassie sent her a sharp look.

"Sorry." Melissa shot her an apologetic smile. "But look at it this way, they have to care enough to come across the world to see you. Maybe you should hear them out or whatever."

"No way." Cassie shook her head as she pulled out her street clothes. "I'm tired of 'hearing them out'. I'm done. I'm sick of going back and forth. I'm staying. I'm not hearing them out. They can be here as long as they want, but I'm not speaking to them."

Melissa nodded slowly as she watched Cassie beginning to redress into her street clothes. She wasn't exactly sure of the whole situation surrounding why Cassie was here in Japan. Cassie just told Melissa the short and sweet version, rather the long and complicated version. There had to be more than what Melissa was told, considering the look on Cassie's face when she saw Alex, Petey, and Chris here. It was as if she saw a ghost. And in no way was it fascination. It was complete horror.

"Alright, well, are we still going to hang?" Melissa asked as she stood and began dressing in her own street clothes.

"If you still want to." Cassie nodded, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "I'm actually looking forward to just hanging at the hotel, watching chick flicks and pigging out."

"Gotta love how we're girls and look forward to that." Melissa smiled, glancing over as she pulled on her t-shirt.

Cassie nodded, though her face still adorned that frown. Melissa couldn't help but sigh as she looked back around. She hadn't been friends with Cassie for a very long time. They only really met the last time she was in Japan for the tour. But she still somehow could read her new friend. And Melissa knew she wasn't even close to being happy here. She was all smiles and laughs, but they were clearly fake. She was miserable; she just didn't want to admit it. Cassie didn't have Low Ki here anymore, and the ROH Japan tour wouldn't be for at least two more months. Melissa herself was even going back to the states the following week. That mean Cassie would be left alone, with only Steve Corino. Although Steve was good friends with Cassie, Melissa knew she needed more. She needed her much-wanted friends from the states. Like the ones that had traveled across the world just for her.

Clearly those three wanted to set the situation right. But knowing Cassie as she somehow did, Melissa knew it wouldn't be an easy task. Even in the ring, Cassie was stubborn. And outside the ring, it was twice as bad. She wouldn't easily agree to go back home.

Then the question remained, if they couldn't get her to go back, who would? Melissa knew this wasn't her home. It was simply a safe house. A place where she could run to, to run away from any problems. But that was it. There was nothing comforting for her here. If she got upset, she wouldn't have that shoulder to cry on. If she got hurt, she didn't have those people to comfort her and stay with her during the pain. So what was the point of staying?

Pride. It was something even Melissa hated about herself. And Cassie was definitely worse than her. She held too much pride. Melissa was guessing that if Cassie gave in, and went home, then she would feel like she lost her pride along the way. And that wasn't something the independent woman wanted.

"Mel? Your way too quiet." Cassie turned, pulling on her jacket. "Everything okay?"

Melissa shook away her thoughts before turning and plastering on a grin. "Everything's great. Want to head out?"

"Yeah sure." Cassie nodded, grabbing her bag. "I'm just going to say bye to Steve."

"Alright. I'll meet you at the car?" Melissa suggested.

"Sure." Cassie nodded again before making her way towards the door. "Oh, and if you see them, do me a favour and tell them to fuck off."

"Tell them to fuck off, got it." Melissa nodded. "I think I can remember that."

Cassie simply sent her a small, fake, smile before leaving the room. Once out of the room, Cassie ran a hand through her hair as she spied down the hall. She didn't want to get stuck in the same hall as those three. So knowing they were in the building, she was more cautious then usually. Every corner she turned, she would peer around before hand, checking to see who was lurking around. To her fortunate pleasure, she was able to make it to Steve's locker room without any unwanted company.

"Knock, knock." Cassie turned the door handle.

"That's technically not a knock." Steve pointed out as Cassie entered the room.

"Meh, close enough." Cassie shrugged as Steve finished taping his wrists. "Main event?"

"Yeah." Steve stood before looking Cassie up and down. "What's wrong?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "How do you know something's wrong?"

"Because I know you." Steve shrugged. "So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Steve folded his arms. "Uh huh. Right Cas. Like I'm going to believe that for a second."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you saw what happened out there. Put two and two together."

"Oh, you mean the whole Williams, Shelley, and Sabin thing?"

"Yeah." Cassie nodded with a frown.

"Come on Cas." Steve walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You gotta get over this babe."

"Not going to happen Steve." She shook her head.

"Cas, you know they never mean to do this to you. They're guys. They never mean to do anything. Their stupid."

"You're insulting yourself." She pointed out.

"Meh, I know I'm like that." Steve shrugged. "Now come on Cas. You can't tell me you don't miss them at all."

"I don't."

"Yes you do. I can tell. You're absolutely miserable here. You try to fake it, but your forgetting who you hang out with. I know you Cas, and I know when you're faking something." Steve lifted her chin as she bowed her head. "Just admit it Cas, your miserable."

"I'm not miserable." She lied.

"You're lying again." Steve sighed. "Look, I'm sure they're sorry for everything. You know those guys love you. You're everything to them. Your everything to those guys back home. Ki loves you; you're like a little sister to that guy. But they're not here. They're back in the good old US of A. where you should be…well Canada, but same thing. This isn't supposed to be your home. And your miserable. Not because you hate it here, but because you don't have your friends with you."

"No…" she refused to admit.

"Cas, stop being so stubborn. You have to stop this. You have to forgive them. I know it's hard. I know they hurt you. But enough is enough. You have to face these problems head on. You're not looking stronger by running here. You're looking weaker. And that's not the Cassie Collins I know."

"But…" Cassie trailed off.

"It's hard I know. It hurts, I get it. But sometimes, it has to be hard, sometimes it has to hurt. But you know what? In the end Cas, its so great." Steve smiled. "When you get through the bad, the pain, it gets better Cas. I know life has been pretty horrible for you the past few years. But how do expect to change that for the rest of your life, if you don't fight. You need to fight sweetie. Fight. That's all you have to do. Fight through the hurt, fight through the hard times. You may be waging war for 5 years, but after those 5 years, you'll be the happiest person alive because of the outcome. Its worth the fight."

"I…" a single tear fell down her cheek.

"We're not asking you to let everything go. We're just asking for you to hear us out." Chris's voice came from behind Steve.

Cassie's eyes widened as she looked around Steve and saw the three of them around the doorway to the bathroom.

"They were here the whole time?" she looked up at Steve angrily.

"They asked for my help." Steve nodded.

"So you were just going to completely betray me and help them?" her voice rose.

"Hun, I wasn't going to betray you. I just want you to be happy. And you're not happy here. Your miserable." Steve defended.

"I don't care if I'm miserable here. I'm here. I'm staying. I'm not going home. And nothing any of you come up with, will change that." Cassie glanced over at the three before spinning around.

"Cassie." Petey found himself calling after her.

But it was no use; the door was already slammed shut.

* * *

**A/N: so...finally got this updated...truth be told, i've had this chapter written for awhile now. i guess i just never got the motivation to post it...we'll blame school for that.**

**So, she's not exactly taking the fact they they're there very lightly. will the guys be able to finally get her to listen to them though?**

**so if its lacking a bit...my heads been in the creative gutter as of late. I havent updated any of my stories in such a long time, and i cant even get up the motivation to write any right now. which sucks, cuz i really want to write them, but i just cant. really sucks. so i have no clue when the next update will be. i have a 4 day weekend, so you never know what i can get done. **

**anyways, till next time.**

**X.**


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter Sixty One:**

"So you just ran out of there?" Melissa asked.

Cassie nodded as she ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair. "It was the only thing I could think of doing."

"You know you have to talk to them eventually." Melissa pointed out as her hand held onto her glass lightly. "They are at least trying. You have to give them that."

Cassie shrugged as she played with her own glass.

"Alright, I can tell you don't want to talk about this." Melissa sat her glass down on the coffee table and stood up. "So why don't we get this girls night started eh? What movie shall we watch first?"

"Don't care, you pick."

"Alrightie then." Melissa walked over to the stack of DVD's on the entertainment center. "Hm…what looks good…AHA!"

"Found one?" Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Melissa turned around with a huge grin on her face.

"John Tucker Must Die?" Cassie couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"I know, odd choice, but it's a classic." Melissa shrugged before popping the DVD into the DVD player. As she turned back around, she looked at Cassie oddly. "What's got you so giggly?"

"Long story."

"All I've got is time…well, alright…so like five minutes as these stupid previews play." Melissa sat back on the couch as the movie started. "So?"

Cassie laughed. "Alright, well, when this movie first came out, I was having a rare girls night with some of my girlfriends from high school. And well, to make a long story short, one of the guys in here looks like Tarzan, and Alexandra had this crush on Tarzan, and it just so happened this Tarzan look alike and has the exact name as Tarzan, Scott. All right, so it doesn't make much sense. You would have had to have been there."

Melissa nodded slowly, all the while looking significantly confused.

"Don't worry about it." Cassie patted her shoulder. "Its an inside joke."

"O…k then. Gotcha." She rolled her eyes. "Anyways…oh, is that the door?"

Cassie glanced at the door, where sudden knocking began. "Yeah, maybe it's the late pizza run."

"Possibly." Melissa nodded, licking her lips. "Come on Cas, get it going, this girl is starving."

Cassie rolled her eyes with a chuckle as she stood and made her way towards the front door. But as she opened the door, Cassie's whole posture completely changed.

"W-What are you doing here?" she stumbled over her words as her face paled considerably.

"We need to talk." Chris brushed past her into the house.

"Ah, no we do." Cassie shook her head. "Go away."

"Sorry Cas, you're my best friend. There's no way I'm just going to walk away." Chris turned and refused to leave.

"Oh, so now you're my best friend. What happened when you decided to call me what, a bitch, or was it a slut?" Cassie crossed her arms, keeping the door open and ready for him to leave.

Chris sighed. "I was angry Cas. We all say things we don't mean when we're angry. You of all people know that."

Cassie instantly knew he was talking about the incident that drove Cassie to leave to Japan the last time.

"That's what I thought." Chris walked over and shut the door before taking Cassie by the shoulders and pushing her lightly towards the kitchen. "She'll be back soon Melissa."

"Take your time." Melissa never looked up from the movie, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"Chris, stop."

And he did.

"I don't want to talk to you." Cassie spun around at him.

"Unfortunately Cassie, you don't have a choice." Chris shook his head.

"As it's my mouth, I do." She stated defiantly.

"Cassie, nothing is ever going to get better if we don't talk it out. And considering right now I'm the better choice compared to Petey and Alex, start talking." Chris stepped in her path as she tried to go around him and out of the kitchen.

"No." she shook her head.

"Cas…" Chris lifted a hand to her shoulder. "You're my best friend. I know I shouldn't have gotten that angry over you and Petey being together, and I'm sorry about that. I just let my jealousy get in the way. I'm sorry."

Cassie looked away.

"Look, I'm going to be straight forward with you, because I think that's what you deserve. Alex loves you Cassie. We all know that. But I'm not sure you do. He loves you more than anything. You may deny it, he may deny it, but it won't take away the fact that he does love you. And sorry to have to be the one to inform you, but Cas, you love him too. I know he shouldn't have kissed you like that, when you were with Petey. But you haven't exactly given him a chance. You came back the last time, and we all thought you two would finally get together, Alex kind of even thought that. But then you and Petey started going together. Alex is only human. He can only keep his feelings for you inside for so long. Eventually, he has to let it out. He did it at the wrong time, but he did it."

Chris sighed as Cassie continued to look to the side. Eventually Chris grabbed her chin softly and forced her to look at him. As soon as her head turned, Chris was visibly able to see the wet hazel eyes that held sadness. He knew she was miserable right now. It was written in her eyes how lonely she truly was here.

"Cas, I can see it in your eyes that you're miserable here. Just come home. I know life has been shitty, and I know the three of us haven't exactly gone out of our way to not make it so shitty, but we can try. We can get along. We'll do anything for you to come home. I know it may not seem like Petey wants you back home, but he does. You may have sort of broken his heart, but you could never lose him as a friend. You'll always be his best friend."

Chris paused for any kind of reaction. But she just simply stared at him as she fought to control her tears.

"I already told you Alex loves you. But you know deep down inside, he needs you as his best friend. You two have always been together. You're a unit. Neither Petey or I can even come close to the relationship that you and Alex share together. That's special. You two need each other. Yeah, you can live a month or two without one another, but I doubt you could live separate lives and never see one another again. You two will no doubt, go crazy."

Yet again, no reaction. Chris sighed as he let her chin go.

"Cassie, I'm sorry. Petey's sorry. Alex is sorry. We're all sorry. We want you back. We need you back. Please just come home with us."

Cassie moved her head back to the side, refusing to answer him.

"Cassie please." Chris felt himself losing steam, as well as the hope he thought he couldn't lose. "Please just come back. You can hate us all you want, just come home. If not for me, if not for Petey or Alex, then at least come home for Jimmy. Come home for Roderick and Austin, and everyone else you made instant friends with. Come home for your fans. You're the women's champion. There are people who count on seeing you wrestle. They want to see you wrestle."

"I can wrestle here." She mumbled, finally speaking.

"Its not the same though. That title will be stripped off of you if you never go back. The Japan crowd is great, but it can't replace the ones your used to back home."

"I don't care." She shrugged.

"Cas, please." Chris sighed.

"No." Cassie shook her head before looking up at him. "I'm sorry Chris, but I'm tired of this. I've given you guys too many chances. I've hurt you guys too many times. It'd be better for us all if I'm here, and you guys are back there."

"Don't you get it Cas, it won't be better for anyone. You'll be miserable. I know you. When you're like this, your body starts getting effected. It started the last time. You hardly ate, you hardly slept. That's why we got you home as soon as we could. I don't want to see you waste away to nothing because you're here and not home with your friends." Chris rubbed at his eyes. "I don't know how else to tell you this Cas. I don't know how I'm supposed to show you that we need you back. I just don't know what to do anymore."

Cassie looked down.

"We want you back. We love you. You're our best friend. You're the glue that keeps our group together. Without you, we'll be off at the next taping, fighting with one another. You were always the one to keep us friends, not enemies. But without you, its like we're on different sides. I personally hate that, because those two guys are my best friends. You're my best friend. I just want all of us to be able to sit around a bar table and laugh and drink together, like old times. But that can't happen if you're here, and the three of us are back home, trying to kill each other." Chris bit his lip and looked over his shoulder. "I'm just going to go and let you think about what I said. I know pushing you into coming home isn't the right thing to do. So think about it Cassie. Please. We truly want you back. We're truly sorry for everything."

So with that, Chris simply leaned down and kissed Cassie on the cheek before turning and walking out of the room. After a moment, Cassie looked up at hearing the front door close. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she held her hand to her face

* * *

**A/N: wow...been awhile...got in a sudden mood to write...so vola! an update!**

**so...Chris has started the three off with trying to get Cassie home...will his little speech be the one to make her go back with them? or will it take the others to help convince her?**

**dont look at me...i just write this thing...i dont actually know whats going to happen :P...**

**I do although, for the most part, have the end of this story done in my head...i actually see about 10 or so more chapters before this thing may be done...but then again...i'm me, and i never end up doing that...so...this just may never end lol :P**

**but enough of that. until next time.**

**X.**


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter Sixty-Two:**

"I can't get a rest from you people can I?" Cassie asked as she opened the door an hour later to reveal Petey standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"You really cant." He smiled weakly.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"To talk." Petey, much like Chris had done, simply walked into the house.

"Hi Petey." Melissa greeted him without looking away from the movie that was near a close.

"Melissa." He nodded in her direction before he turned to see Cassie closing the door. "All I want is to talk. That's all. No hidden motives."

"I doubt that." Cassie turned and walked into the kitchen.

Petey took this as an invitation to follow, so he did. As he walked through the small hallway, he noticed a few of the pictures on the wall. Mostly one in particular. He stopped as he examined it more closely. It was the picture of them all on their graduation day from Can-Am Wrestling School. Petey couldn't but smile as that day came back to him.

It was like any other day, except for the fact that they were finally graduating. It had taken 16 months, but they could now say they were wrestlers. All five of them; Jimmy, Chris, Alex, Cassie, and himself, had been waiting for that day for months. They had been so excited, and when it finally came, they did nothing short of celebrating. They were all so happy back then. Nothing confusing about life. No complications. They were all best friends. There was no romantic history between anyone there. The most there was were crushes. Crushes that neither Alex, Chris, nor he had tried to make into more. They were happy just being friends. And that's what they were. All five of them were inseparable ever since the day they all met. Even after they graduated they always stuck together. Until that day Cassie left. They all kind of broke up then. Jimmy was off being serenaded by Lacey; Chris was off winning titles in TNA; Alex being the cameraman for any occasion, and Petey himself was busying himself with Team Canada business. They all got busy, trying to forget that part of them that was missing. And then there was that day when Cassie came back. It was like everything was back to normal.

But then everything just got even more screwed up. Alex became jealous, Chris tried it with Cassie, the whole fight that almost made Cassie leave. And then that incident that did in fact make her leave. Once again, everyone was broken apart, worse than before. Even now, as the three of them were here to bring Cassie back with them, they were broken apart. Their friendship was on thin ice. At one small incident, the ice could easily crack, breaking their friendship apart for good. That was why they were here. They needed Cassie. Without her, there would be no more but hate between the three men. And they didn't want that. They just wanted to get back to normal.

"Ah, Petey?" Cassie raised an eyebrow.

Petey shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he looked away from the picture. "Sorry."

"Uh huh." She nodded slowly before turning back around and entered the kitchen.

Petey sighed before glancing at the picture once more. He ran a hand through hair dark hair before following Cassie into the room.

"So, start talking." Cassie turned in the middle of the room, her arms crossed.

Petey looked at her for a moment. A small smile was fought down as he felt those butterflies in his stomach, the same ones he had every time he was around her.

"First off, I just want to say that I don't hate you." Petey started, stuffing his hands into his pants pocket. "You hurt me a lot, but I can never hate you."

"I still hurt you." She said quietly, turning her head away from him.

"Yes, you did. You hurt me more than anyone has before. You tore my heart out, stabbed it repeatedly, and then shoved it back in. When it first happened, I thought I wouldn't be able to forgive you. The pain was too much." Petey paused for a moment, noticing traces of tears in her eyes. "But then Scott told me that you had left. When he said those words, my heart sank. It was like my world was shattering. You may have hurt me, and I may have been angry and upset, but you were still my best friend. Nothing in this world will change that. I don't care if you try to push me away, you will always be my best friend."

Cassie remained silent.

"You hurt me a lot Cas. You really did. I thought I loved you. But you know, when I think about it, I can't completely put all the blame on you. I made you choose. I shouldn't have done that. I knew you still loved him. I did. It was hard not to see. And I made you choose. I had no right to put that on you. I cant help but think that if I hadn't, then you would be back home right now, instead of refusing to never go back." Petey ran a hand down his face. "You have to understand Cas, that no matter how much you can hurt us, we're still going to care about you in some way. You're always going to be our Cassie. You're always going to be our best friend. No matter what may happen. It doesn't matter if there's a fight, if we want to hate everyone else. You're still going to be our best friend."

Petey paused for a moment, trying to see if she would react at all. He was truthfully hoping she would nod and run into his arms, crying. But that didn't happen. Her face was still cold and blank. Though he knew he was breaking her down. A lone tear was finally making its way down her cheek.

"I want you to come back. Chris wants you to come back. Alex wants you to come back." Petey noticed the small shudder at Alex's name. "Everyone back home wants you back. Ki and Steve obviously want you to go back. Austin is pissed that he couldn't come here himself. People do care that you may never come back Cas."

"Then why did only you three come?"

"Because we thought we'd be enough." Petey answered, feeling a twinge of guilt as he knew he couldn't tell her part of the reason why it was only the three of them there. "But I wish we had brought everyone else now."

Cassie glanced at Petey, trying to tell if he was lying or not. Petey quickly averted his eyes, knowing that if she looked hard enough, she'd be able to see the truth.

"Look Cassie, We've been best friends for years. Through thick and thin. I was there when the first Alex situation went down. And I'm here when the new ones going down too. Chris has been you best friend since the day you two met. He never once saw anyone else but you as his best friend. You and Alex have been best friends for…I don't even know how long anymore. The point is, we've been through a lot, all of us. And we're determined to get through this too. Alex, Chris, and I may fight a lot, but we all agree on one thing. And that's you. We'd do anything to keep you in our life. We really would. I'm pretty sure we'd be willing to cut off a body part to keep you around. With some exceptions that is."

A sliver of the smallest smile known to mankind formed on Cassie's lips.

"I really don't know what else to say Cas." Petey sighed and looked down. "I just really care about you, and I miss you. It sucks being in a house alone. Seriously, I actually think the place became haunted after you left again. Thinking about calling the Ghostbusters you know," Petey caught sight of that small smiling slowly becoming more prominent. Petey couldn't help but jump for joy inside. Maybe this was a way to get to her.

"But I figured that a) that would be a very expensive thing and b) the neighbors would talk, then I'd be the talk of the town, and little kids would be scared to come near it on Halloween. And I really do like scaring them." Petey smiled and nodded. "But I suppose, I should make the house look more haunted. Give it a nice effect, but not make it as scary as people would think. Just to put a little curious scare in them. That'll be fun."

"Stop babbling." Cassie finally spoke.

Petey grinned. "I can see that smile you know. It may be very very very small, but I have like magnified vision, so I can see it perfectly."

Cassie quickly scowled.

"Oh, no need to hide any smile. It makes me feel proud that I can get you to smile by acting like a very odd idiot."

"That's and understatement." She muttered.

"What was that?" Petey asked, smirking.

"Nothing." She glared at him. "Do you have anything else to say? Or can I get back to my guest?"

Petey shrugged. "No point in saying anything else. If that hasn't tried to convince you at all, then clearing there's nothing else for me to do. But do hear me Cas, I love you as my best friend. Even if you never go back, I will be here every two weeks to bug the hell out of you."

Cassie continued to glare at him as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He then turned swiftly around and walked out of the kitchen. As soon as the door sounded, Melissa walked into the room.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." Cassie mumbled.

Melissa nodded before handing out her phone. "Someone wants to talk to you."

"So they called you?" Cassie cautiously took her friend's cell phone.

"Well yours was off apparently." Melissa shrugged. "Mind if I go put on another movie while you chat?"

"No go ahead." Cassie waved her hand.

Melissa smiled before skipping of to the living room, leaving Cassie alone once again in the kitchen. Cassie sighed as she looked down at the phone. She was trying to figure out if she wanted to talk with whoever it was or not. She had half a mind to just hang up now. But her conscious told her not too. Sighing again, Cassie slowly brought the phone up to her ear as she sat down in a near chair.

"Hello?"

"Nice to hear your voice again." The familiar voice of Roderick came rushing forward.

"Hi Roderick."

"How are you sweetie?" he asked, sounding completely cheery.

"Alright I suppose." Cassie replied half-heartedly. "How about you?"

"Oh I'm not bad at all. Mind you I did get my ass kicked by Rave at the ROH show." Hate was obvious in his voice.

"Oh, that sucks." Cassie said. "Kick his ass for me?"

"You know you could do it yourself if you want." Roderick went back to his cheery self.

Cassie rolled her eyes at his attempt. "Well at least you were creative in that _failed_ attempt."

"I try my hardest." He didn't even sound fazed. "Can't blame a guy for trying though. Oh! I'm supposed to tell you that: Austin is mad at you for not saying goodbye, Matt is coming to Japan for like a month tour so he'll see you there, Jack wants you to still die, AJ says hi from everyone at TNA, and Jimmy is crying your name out like every five seconds and is driving Lacey and everyone else insane."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Tell Austin that I'm sorry, but I had no choice; cant wait to see Matt; Jack can rot in hell for all I care; I say hi back to everyone; and hit Jimmy over the head, it usually works."

"At least let me get a pen and paper before telling me all of that." He laughed. "No, but I'll pass on the messages. I'm sure any kind of contact is good contact for them."

"They have phones, they can call." Cassie pointed out.

"Austin is stubborn and lazy though. He bugged me the whole morning to call you. I was actually scared for my safety at one point when he put me in a headlock and threatened to give me a wet willy for the rest of my life."

Cassie burst out laughing. "Oh my god."

"On second thought, can I come live with you? These people are psycho. I see why you left." Roderick joked.

"You don't know the half of it." Cassie stated.

"So tell me then." Roderick said more seriously.

"I'd rather not."

"I understand. Are you at least going to come here to resign your title?" Roderick asked.

"I was thinking of just sending it to them. Maybe make a video for them to air if I'm ambitious."

"Well that's kind of you." He answered sarcastically.

"I thought so." Cassie couldn't help but smile.

"Are you ever going to just vacation here? Or am I going to have to travel all the way to Japan to just see you?" Roderick asked.

"Well, I'm sure I'll go to England for some kind of wrestling. So that's another stop for you."

"Oh yay, jolly good England." He mocked a British accent. "Is that the best I'm going to get."

"Yes." Cassie answered shortly.

"Guess its better than nothing." He mused honestly. "I really miss you. I know we never really got much chance to hang out together, but I felt like we kind of became friends. Well I hope we did, or else this is a very awkward conversation right now."

"No, we became friends. Don't worry, if we hadn't, I probably would have hanged up on you."

"Well glad I wasn't left hanging. And yay, I have another friend to add to the list. I'll rub it in Austin's face."

Cassie laughed. "Your crazy you know that right."

"No, just very childish."

"That's true," she agreed before looking over at the kitchen door. "Hate to cut this short, but I think I've abandoned Mel enough tonight, what with all the unwanted visitors."

"Visitors?"

"Chris and Petey." Cassie sighed. "If I see Alex though, I throwing the door in his face."

"That's quite mean."

"No, just logical."

"I guess." Roderick agreed slowly. "But maybe you should give the guy a chance to say his piece. I mean, maybe it'll make you feel better."

"Doubt it." She mumbled. "But I'll think about it."

"Good." Roderick's cheery tone returned. "I'll let you go. Don't be a stranger, call."

"I'll try." She answered. "Same goes for you too Roddy."

"Oh I will don't worry. I'll talk to you alter then?"

"Yeah." Cassie nodded to herself. "Bye Roddy."

"Bye Cassie. I still miss you." He said before hanging up.

Cassie lowered the phone and looked at it, tears beginning to form in her eyes. As Roderick's last words rang in her ears, tears fell down her face. Cassie put her head in her hands as she tried to wipe away her grief.

* * *

**A/N: YAY!! i finally updated this story! yeah, took awhile i know. but a) school was crazy and i never had a chance b) huge writers block but i have ideas coming back c) its summer and im really bored.**

**So theres a breakthrough...well sort of...Cassie is still feeling miserable...though Petey was able to get her to smile...and seems as though she's fine talking with Roderick. maybe he'll be able to help her out...oh, and Chris and petey are done...hm...wonder if Alex will come next. seriously, i don't even know yet, so i'm just as excited as you are lol.**

**Again, i'd just like to warn everyone that Black With A T is going to be going on Hiatus for a month or so...I've lost all ideas currently to that story. it's not going on the back burner, i'm determined to finish it through. i just need time to sort everything out for that story and then come back with a fresh mind. as for the other stories, The Journey is recently updated, and will be again soon...the others...well...soon i swear. as for the next chapter of this one...it's coming...but keep in mind, it took me 5 days to finish this, and the next coming weeks are crazy, what with HP 5 coming out, Parties, TNA and ROH PPV's, and then packing for my Vaca...so be patient. it will come though, don't worry.**

**we'll ive talked alot...so...**

**till next time.**

**X. **


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter Sixty-Three:**

"So?" Chris immediately asked as Petey entered their hotel room.

Petey shrugged as he plopped down immediately on his bed. "It went okay I guess. Got her to somewhat smile."

"That's a start I guess." Chris commented tapping his chin. "Roderick just called to say he called her. Said she seemed friendly with him. Glad someone gets that side of her."

"Yeah." Petey nodded. "Think any of this is going to work in the long run?"

"I hope so." Chris sighed. "It better."

"How much time do we have left?" Petey asked.

Chris thought for a moment. "Well we got here what, Tuesday? And we kind of waited a few days. And today…is Saturday…well when we interfered in her match it was technically Friday. So we still have till next Friday I believe our flight back is. So about a week."

"Well that was complicated. You could have just said a week." Alex walked into the room from the bathroom, running a towel through his wet hair, indicating that he had just gotten out of the shower.

"Well I like complicated." Chris sent him a small glare.

Alex shrugged. "Your life."

Petey rolled his eyes as he sat up and eyed Alex.

"What?" Alex asked, throwing the towel on the ground. "What did I do?"

"Are you going to go see Cassie?" Petey asked.

Alex seemed to have frozen by that question. Even right down to his heartbeat.

"What?"

"Are you going to go see Cassie?" Petey repeated.

"Um..." Alex paled considerably as he tried to think of a clear answer. "I-I don't know."

"You have to Alex." Chris joined in on the conversation. "You're the one she needs to see the most."

Alex seemed to of clammed up and began fidgeting with his hands. "I-I don't know okay."

"Alex, come off it. I know there's this thing with Jackie, but you at least want her back as a friend right?" Petey pointed out.

"Well…yeah…" his eyes shot to the side. "I-I just don't know."

"She's your best friend Alex." Chris pointed out.

"I know…but…she hates me." He bowed his head.

"She doesn't hate you." Chris rolled his eyes.

"Well she's angry and hurt, yes, but she couldn't hate you. Just like you never really hated her." Petey agreed.

Alex remained looking at the floor.

"You have to see her Alex. How else are we going to get her home? Clearly us talking to her isn't going the way we planned. You're the only hope we have." Chris felt like he was now pleading with the man.

"Am I going to even help though?" Alex looked up at them. "How do you know she'll listen to me?"

"Because…" Chris trailed off.

"Because she loves you." Petey helped him out.

Alex snorted. "She doesn't love me."

"I wish you two would come out of denial, because hello, you two love each other and are to stupid to just admit it to one another." Petey sighed.

"Shut up. And anyways, I don't know I love her anymore anyways." Alex shrugged, trying to pick himself up from his pathetic state he was in moments before.

"Just because of this Jackie thing? Do you even know if tis really yours?" Chris rolled his eyes.

Alex glared at him. "Yes its mine."

"But I mean, she seems like the lying slut kind to me." Chris shrugged. "So maybe you should get a DNA test. Because really, as your friend or whatever, I don't want you to get your heart crushed by this."

"Why would she lie to me?" Alex felt himself becoming more and more defensive.

"She may want money." Petey suggested.

"Or she wants to keep you as her boyfriend or whatever," Chris stated logically. "Think about it. Everyone backstage knew you kissed Cassie. So its only natural that she must have known. Maybe she's jealous, and doesn't want Cas to have you, so she came up with being pregnant with your child?"

"That's a big load of crap Sabin." Alex spit out. "Just because your jealous don't mean you have to make up false tales."

"Me jealous?" Chris stood up. "Why the hell would I be jealous of you and some slut?"

"Because all you really want is to have what I have; a loving relationship and a possible baby on the way." Alex smirked smugly.

"Everyone wants that Alex." Chris narrowed his eyes. "But believe me, I have no reason to be jealous of a two faced, jack ass who thinks of only himself. You won't even help get Cassie back for gods sake! What kind of friend are you? I mean the other stuff is forgettable. But the fact that you don't even seem to care anymore? That's hard to forgive and forget. Mark my words Alex Shelley, if she doesn't come home with us, I'm going to rip you apart!"

Alex raised an eyebrow, trying to hide the fact that what he had sad clearly hit a chord with him.

"You know what, now I definitely don't want to talk to her. It'll make you too happy. And I wouldn't want to please you now would I?" Alex turned back around. "Have fun trying to get her back. I don't care anymore."

Petey tried to stop him, but the bathroom door slammed shut with a click. Petey sighed as he stood up and glared at Chris.

"You just had to entice him didn't you? We're not here to fight with one another. We're supposed to be working together to get back, not fighting. Now we're never going to get him to talk to her. Now what Chris? We've tried everything." Petey ranted angrily.

Chris closed his eyes tightly as he rubbed his forehead. "I don't know anymore. I just don't know."

* * *

"I can't believe your leaving." Cassie's face fell as she and Melissa were at the Airport four uneventful days later.

"Yeah, me too." Melissa quickly hugged her tightly. "I don't want to go back. It's been fun hanging out."

"It has been. I haven't had a girl to hang out with since Traci. So it was nice." Cassie nodded, hugging her back. "Make sure to call and email alright?"

"Will do." Melissa nodded before ending the hug. "But hey, at least Matt's due to come in right after I'm gone."

"That's true. Not the same as girl time though."

"Well I'm sure you can try to get Matt to watch girly movies with you." Melissa pointed out as Cassie walked her to the beginning of the security line.

"I doubt he'd go for that. But you never know." Cassie laughed.

Melissa chuckled before glancing over at the short line. "I better go before it gets busy."

"Yeah." Cassie frowned again.

"I'll be seeing and hearing from you soon. Don't worry." Melissa gave her a small hug before smiling. "Be good alright? And don't give those guys a hard time. They just care about you a lot."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Cassie pushed her towards the line. "Have a good trip."

"Will do. Bye Cas!"

"Bye." Cassie waved as she turned and walked to security.

Cassie sighed as she watched her friend hand over her ticket to the security man. She reluctantly turned around, about to head towards the exit. She still had a few hours left until Matt was due to arrive, so she figured she could go for a walk. But she couldn't even take two steps before being plowed over by a large force.

"Hey Cassie." Matt's smiling face came from above her on the ground.

Cassie glared at him. "That wasn't a nice hello Matt."

"Sorry." He laughed before standing up and helping her do so as well. "Just excited to see you."

"Overly excited." Cassie dusted the dirt off. "What are you doing here anyways? I thought your flight was supposed to get here in a few hours?"

"It was. I took an earlier flight. Figured I'd want to see you sooner." Matt gave me a tight hug. "Its nice to see you by the way."

"You too." She rolled her eyes but gave him a hug nonetheless. "How was your flight?"

"Boring and painful. Was next to a guy who was a fan of wrestling. He kept asking me annoying questions." Matt rolled his eyes as well. "I was actually thinking about putting him in a headlock, but then we landed."

Cassie laughed. "Thank god you didn't eh?"

"Oh yeah." Matt nodded as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "So, wanna get me back to his place of yours. I'm pretty tired."

"Your such a guy."

"Yeah I know. In more ways then one if you know what I mean." Matt smirked.

"Oh my god."

* * *

**A/N: yeah i know, im ambitious apparently. bet you werent expecting another chapter this quickly eh? yeah i know, im good. that and i have sprite with me...and ROH...so i have alot of inspiration...i swear, AJ is playing a heelish type character (well kinda) against Austin Aries in this match...stupid AJ wins...i wanted Austin too :(**

**anyways...so seems like Alex may not ever go to try and talk to Cas...wonder what the guys will think of now...and Matt Sydal is in Japan!!! YAY!!! seriously, i can leave that ROH Cutie out of the story for long lol...but hm...maybe he'll be able to help in a way...guess something should happen soon..the time is ticking and that three have to leave for Orlando soon...hm...wonder what will happen...**

**Oh, and i'd like to say thank you to whoever allowed for Microsoft Word to recover documents that are shut down suddenly...we had a pretty crazy storm and the power went off when i was on the second page of this chapter...sigh...but then when the power came back on, the chapter had been recovered! yay!. good old microsoft...see this is why i keep going back lol.**

**anyways, till next time.**

**X.**


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter Sixty-Four:**

"Wake up!" Matt pushed Cassie's shoulders. "There's someone at the door."

"Go answer it." She mumbled as she turned around and brought the covers up further.

"But its not my house!" he complained.

"Then shhh."

"But it's annoying. They wont stop pounding the door." Matt frowned.

"Well then answer it."

"No."

"Then give it a rest and let me sleep." She flipped him off.

"Geez, you're a grouchy one." Matt grumbled.

"Go away."

"Fine fine, be that way." Matt shrugged before exiting her room.

He listened carefully, and soon groaned as he heard the knocking continue. Finally he sighed and stomped down the stairs and over to the front door. Ready to yell at whoever was knocking at this early in the morning, Matt opened the door widely.

"What do you two want?" Matt asked, motion for the two on the other side to come in.

"We have to talk to Cas." Chris glanced over at Petey before back at Matt.

"She's grouchy and sleeping right now." Matt closed the door. "But hey, it's your funeral. Knock your self out.

Petey nodded before leading the way up the stairs.

"Should we knock or just go in?" Chris asked once on the landing.

"Just go in." Petey stated, shrugging. "Works better that way."

"Alrightie." Chris nodded, taking hold of the closed door's handle. "Ready?"

"Ye-"

The two men practically jumped out of their skin as the door opened from inside the room. A wide-eyed surprised Cassie starred back at them, shocked that they were there.

"W-What are you going here?" she asked, noticing she was still in her short shorts and small tank top that she had worn to bed the previous night.

"We had to talk to you." Chris stated, keeping his eyes firmly planted on her face.

"You two already did."

"We know, but…" Petey looked at Chris who nodded at him. "We're leaving later today, we got a call from Cornette telling us he wants everyone back for Friday now. So we have a flight this afternoon."

"And I care why?" Cassie looked between the two.

"Well…" Chris began. "We wanted to give you this. I know your not coming. But just in case.

Cassie raised an eyebrow as he shoved a ticket into her hands.

"And we just wanted to say that we want you to come with us. You're our best friend Cas, we need you. We really do." Petey told her.

She looked up. "How come Alex never came?"

"What?"

"Both of you guys came and talked to me. How come he didn't?" she asked, surprising herself at the question.

Chris held back the want to insult the guy. "He's a bit stubborn at the moment. We tried like hell to get through to him. But…"

"Has anyone told you yet? About Jackie?" Petey took off from where Chris had left off.

"What about Jackie?" Cassie asked, clearly confused.

"Well ah, you see, I don't know how I'm supposed to tell you this but…"

"She's pregnant with Alex's child." Petey blurted out.

"But, we think she's lying about it." Chris said quickly. "But he thought I was jealous, and locked himself in a bathroom."

"She's-she's p-pregnant." Cassie paled considerably.

"Yeah." Petey nodded slowly.

Cassie gripped onto the doorway, trying to keep her now weak legs up. "Wow."

"Yeah. But again, we think it's a hoax." Chris put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wow." Cassie repeated, her eyes now glossing over.

Chris glanced at Petey before they both took a hold of her shoulders and helped her back to her bed. As she sat down, she couldn't help a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek. The two men's hearts nearly broke as they saw this. Even though all of this hell had been going on in their lives, she still loved him. This, the two were sure, was like tearing her heart out and ripping it to threads and shoving it back in.

"He still loves you. He has to still love you." Chris sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"He does. He just wont admit it." Petey kneeled in front of Cassie, placing his hands on her knees.

Cassie remained silent as she looked at nothing at all with those now teary eyes.

"Cas sweetie," Chris squeezed her shoulders. "Its okay."

Another tear fell down her cheek, followed by another. Petey looked at Chris, feeling horrible that they had to be the ones to tell her the news.

"It's alright Cas." Petey tried to wipe away her tears, but soon found it hard as they were streaming down her face.

"Hey sorry on the intrusion, but Steve's here and walking up the stairs behind me…everything okay?" Matt appeared in the doorway.

The two men looked over while Cassie's view remained nowhere.

"Did you two tell her?" Matt asked, guessing at the problem.

Chris nodded. "We had to. We can't just leave and let someone else tell her."

"Why the hell did you just stop Sydal?' Steve grunted.

Matt shook his head, remembering Steve was behind him, and turned around. "Oh sorry."

Steve glanced over his shoulder and frowned as he saw Chris and Petey comforting Cassie.

"What happened?" Steve looked back at Matt.

Matt sighed. "They told her about Alex and Jackie."

"Oh." Steve frowned even further before brushing past Matt and walking into the bedroom.

"Can I have a minute alone with her?" Steve asked the two.

Petey looked at Chris, seeing what he thought. Chris nodded and half hugged Cassie one last time before standing up.

"We'll be downstairs." Chris stated.

"We'll be down soon." Steve nodded before sitting down beside Cassie.

As soon as he wrapped an arm around her, Cassie latched herself around the larger man, as if hoping he would take all her problems away. Sobs could be heard from her as the two men slowly left the room, more heartbroken then they were when they first entered the room.

* * *

"Do you think that was a really bright plan?" Petey asked nervously as he paced the kitchen.

Chris looked at him from his seat at the table. "Yeah. She had to know. And we had to break her down somehow. She was being cold and blank I guess. She's showing emotions."

"But we had to hurt her to do so." Petey stopped and looked at Chris.

"Yeah. But we had to tell her. It would have been worse if she heard it from someone other than us."

"I guess." Petey bit his lip. "I just hate seeing her cry."

"Me too." Chris ran a hand through his hair. "The only thing we can really do now is wait and see."

"When do you two leave?" Matt asked as he walked into the room.

"In a few hours." Chris answered.

"I thought the Pay Per View wasn't until Sunday?"

"It's not. But Cornette wants everyone in Orlando for Friday. So we have to get an earlier flight there." Petey replied. "Which cuts this short unfortunately."

"You know, I'm here for like a month. So its not like no one will be trying to get her back home." Matt commented.

The two looked at him as if they were surprised to learn this news.

"What?" Matt shrugged. "I like the idea of having a girl presence in Gen Next. That and she's miserable."

Petey opened his mouth to say something but was cut short by a knock at the kitchen door. The three men stopped in mid action and looked over at Steve who was glancing over his shoulder. A moment later, Cassie appeared at his side, her cheeks stained with tears.

"Hey." Chris stood up.

"Hi." She replied softly, looking down at her feet.

"Are you okay?" Petey asked.

She shook her head, still not looking at them.

"I can't go with you." She spoke up after a moment of awkward silence. "I-I cant. I'm sorry."

Petey and Chris exchanged looks.

"Look Cas, its just a matter of time before we find out if Jackie's telling the truth." Petey took a step forward.

"I just can't go right now Petey." She looked up finally. "I'm sorry you had to waste your time. But I just cant. Maybe someday, but not right now."

Petey looked like he wanted to say something, but Chris nudged him and shook his head. Petey gave him a questioning look, but Chris just ignored him. Instead, Chris walked over to Cassie, and pulled her into a hug.

"Ok. We won't try to change your mind. I'm sorry if we hassled you in anyway." Chris whispered in her ear before putting her at arms length. "I'm sorry we had to tell you about Jackie. We figured it'd be better if you heard it from us than other people."

She nodded. "Thank you."

Chris gave her a small smile before hugging her again. This time, Cassie returned the hug comfortably.

"I guess we should be going then." Petey muttered, kicking at the floor feeling helpless.

Chris looked over his shoulder before ending the hug.

"Yeah, we still have to pack." He agreed.

Petey looked up from the floor when he heard footsteps coming close to him. He looked surprised when Cassie wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. Petey felt his heart break as he hugged her back, not ever wanting to let go.

"Goodbye Cas." Petey whispered. "I love you."

"You too." She gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Take care okay?"

He nodded.

"And tell Jimmy and the other I say bye." She looked over at Chris who nodded. "I'm sorry I really am. I just-I just cant right now. Maybe in the future. But it's just not the right time."

"We understand." Chris nodded.

"Could you two do something for me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Anything." Petey answered.

Cassie unwrapped her arms from Petey and walked into the next room. A moment later, she walked back in with her Women's Championship in her hands.

"Can you give this to Cornette for me? Tell him sorry that I couldn't fulfill my duties."

Petey took the title from her hands and nodded.

"Thanks."

"We should be going." Chris told them.

Petey looked over at him before back at Cassie. "Will you at least let us know how you're getting on?"

"I'll try." She nodded.

"Guess that's better than nothing." He mused. "Goodbye Cas."

"We will always think of you as our best friend." Chris piped up. "You'll always be our Cas."

She gave him the best smile she could muster up. "Thanks."

The two nodded before slowly taking strides towards the front door, leaving behind the girl they thought they never would live without.

* * *

**A/N: yes! another chapter! you should be lucky you got this one...i lost my wrestling gear earlier..but was restored by PA6...so all hail her lol.**

**can't believe Cassie isn't going with them :(. guess i can see why. i mean, if i were her i wouldn't.**

**but...you never know what can happen in the next chapter ;)**

**oh and i have to say...Roderick Strong is actually pretty inspirational...i mean...while i was finishing off this chapter...i was watching his match against Bryan Danielson back in 2005...and wow...very hot ;)...and inspirational lol.**

**anyways...till next time.**

**X.**


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter Sixty-Five:**

Alex shoved his hands into his pants pockets as he starred up at the sky. It had gotten cloudier over the past hour he had been out walking. Looked close to raining any moment now. Though he didn't care. He still had a lot to think about before his flight in an hour.

He wasn't sure what was right or wrong anymore. He knew he had to be there for Jackie and the baby. His father had left him when he was child, so Alex knew how hard it was not to have that fatherly presence for years of his life. He never wanted any child of his to have to go through any of that. He wanted to be there first hand for everything his child might do. He wanted to see their first steps, hear their first words, take them to their first day of school; he just wanted to be there for them. And Jackie as well. He wasn't sure how much he actually did love her, but he did have feelings towards her. And even more so now that she was to have his child. It brought out a side Alex never knew he really had.

But at the same time, he still wasn't sure about Cassie. He had loved her for a long time now. She was his best friend for life. He just wasn't sure if leaving her forever was the right choice. Every time he saw her, his stomach flipped over. He felt light headed when she smiled, and those sparkling eyes just made him want to melt. He just wasn't sure how his life would play out if she wasn't there a part of it.

But what was he supposed to do? Alex couldn't very well lie to both Jackie and Cassie. He had lied enough in his life. He was tired of it. Lying was what got them into this mess. If he had just told Cassie he loved her months ago, he wouldn't have gotten with Jackie, and she wouldn't be having his baby.

Not that he was regretting it at all. The thought of having a son or a daughter thrilled him. Sure he was scared shitless at the thought of providing for a child. But it still brought joy to his heart thinking about the first time he'd be able to hold them. He was even smiling now at the thought.

But that feeling at the back of his head brought him out of his joy. As the rain started drizzling down from the sky, Alex couldn't help but return to his miserable state. He truthfully didn't want to just leave Cassie, knowing he may never see her again. He had this happen too many times now. He wasn't ready to let her go yet. Even if they were just friends, Alex didn't care. He just wanted her around. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left today, and never saw her again.

A loud roar sounded from above Alex, signaling a storm was indeed ready to burst from the seams of the dark clouds. Alex looked up and sighed. He didn't care much if he got soaking wet just walking out here. But he also knew he had some reason for walking the path he had been. And he soon realized that path as he looked up as he saw Steve Corino walking out of a house a few doors down. Steve peered up at the sky before zipping up his jacket. He looked like he was prepared to run towards his car in the driveway, but stopped before taking a step off of the porch. He caught Alex's eye, and gave him an odd look of confusion. Alex's stomach did a few back flips as realization began to hit. He knew that had to have been Cassie's house.

"Alex!" Steve shouted over the sudden roar of thunder.

Alex winced. He wasn't exactly sure he wanted to be here right now. He had half a mind to just turn around and walk away. But on the other hand, it was Steve Corino. Even Alex knew never to mess with that man. Reluctantly, Alex lifted his head back up from the sidewalk and looked Steve straight in the eye. Steve gave him a small smile before taking a step down off of the porch. Moments later, Alex found himself starring at the taller man while the rain poured around them.

"Don't you have a flight back soon?" Steve asked, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

Alex shrugged. "In an hour."

"You do know that traffic is always bad at this time right? It's going to take at least half an hour to get there." Steve looked around. "Did you walk here from your hotel?"

"Had to clear my head. So I took a walk." Alex nodded. "Didn't know that…she lived here though."

Steve glanced back at the house before back at Alex. "You know she would like to see you I'm sure."

Alex snorted. "I doubt it."

"I'm not going to argue with you." Steve sat a hand on his shoulder. "Have a good trip."

Steve gave him a last smile before turning back around and heading towards his car. Alex sighed as he ran a hand through his now soaking wet hair. As the water trickled down the back of his neck, he watched the car leave the driveway and drive off down the street in the opposite direction. He glanced up at the house Steve had come out of one last time before turning back around. He knew Steve wanted him to go see her. But he couldn't. Could he?

He would just be hurting himself though if he did. Alex knew she was angry with him. Hated him perhaps. He didn't want to hurt her even more by going to see her. It was better this way, to just leave and not say goodbye, to not even try.

But then again, it wouldn't hurt to at least say goodbye would it? He could just say goodbye really quickly, and then leave. How could that possibly hurt her?

Alex sighed and stopped walking. This was getting too complicated for him now. He didn't know what to do. He was completely torn down the middle. On one hand he didn't want to see her, but on the other, he really did. He considered flipping a coin, but he knew putting his fate in the hand of a quarter was not the practical choice. He tried to think of what Chris or Petey would tell him to do. But that was obvious. They would of course badger him into going to see her. Everyone would. Alex even took a moment looking around for a sign of what he should do. Unfortunately it was a silent street, and there was nothing 'signish' about the place.

As if out of desperation, Alex looked up into the dark sky, allowing the rain to fall over his face.

"Anything?" he asked aloud.

A thunderous roar sounded in reply. Alex sighed as he shook his head and cursed.

"That didn't help." He muttered, kicking the sidewalk with the toe of his shoe. "Least you could do is give me some kind of help."

"Alex?"

Alex's eyes widened as he recognized the soft voice behind him. He whipped around, the water drenching his hair flying everywhere as he did so.

"Cassie." He whispered, taking her in.

She was getting drenched just like he was. Unlike Steve, she didn't have a coat on. She was just wearing a plain t-shirt with her usual jeans.

"W-What are you doing out here?" she asked, trying not to catch his eye.

"I was just walking around." He looked down.

"Oh." She nodded. "Your wet."

He couldn't help but let a small smile fall on his face as he looked up. "So are you."

The two stood there, looking at one another, though avoiding each other's eyes. The silence was awkward, neither knowing what to say or how to act with one another.

"C-Congratulations." Cassie finally spoke softly, her voice cracking.

Alex cocked his head to the side, giving her a confused stare.

"O-on the B-Baby." She got out.

Alex paled. "How'd you know about that?"

"Chris and Petey told me earlier." She answered, starring back down at the sidewalk.

"Oh." Alex felt his heart begin to beat faster.

"So C-Congrats." She stuffed her hands into her jean pockets.

"Thanks." He muttered.

Silence fell over the two again, the only sound around being that of the roars of thunder that continuously became louder and longer. After a few moments, Cassie looked over her shoulder before back at Alex.

"I-I should get going."

"Oh. Oh yeah, me too." Alex nodded.

"Well ah…bye." She said awkwardly as she spun around quickly and began speed walking back towards her house.

"Cas, wait!" Alex found himself saying.

Cassie, confused and curious, stopped where she was walking, and turned to see Alex slowly walking towards her.

Alex was cursing himself for stopping her. He didn't know why he did. He just had a whim and went with it. Not that any of his whims usually went the way he wanted them to.

"I ah…I just want to tell you that…" Alex stumbled over his words. "I just… I'm sorry."

Cassie couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

Alex bowed his head in shame. "I was a selfish asshole when I kissed you. I never thought about you or Petey, and how it would ruin what you two had. I was selfish and didn't think. I'm sorry."

Cassie was speechless. She never expected him to apologize like this to her.

"And I'm sorry about the other stuff. About Lacey, about being jealous, about being a jackass. I'm sorry about everything. I'm the reason you're here and refusing to go back. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry." He lifted his eyes up to hers. "I want you to know that, before we left. I didn't want to feel that guilt that I never got to say I was sorry. So I'm sorry. A hundred times sorry. Really really really really extremely sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. Like really really really…"

"Its okay." Cassie interrupted him. "I-I forgive you."

Alex gave her a surprised look. She shrugged in response.

"It was just as much my fault as it was yours." She answered quietly.

"No it wasn't." he shook his head, sighing. "It was all me."

"I didn't exactly help anything." She pointed out.

Alex nodded, knowing that it was his entire fault, but felt it unneeded to argue about this.

"I want you to come back home with us." Alex surprised both of them as he said this.

"What?"

"I know there's a lot of stuff we still have to work out. But…But Cas, I really can't see my life without my best friend. Neither can Chris or Petey. Or anyone back home for that matter. I really want you to come home. I need you to." Alex's eyes pleaded with her.

"Alex, I cant." Cassie shook her head.

"Please." He begged, taking a step closer to her. "I can't do this whole 'father' thing without my best friend. I need you there so when I try to split, you can stop me. You always know what to say to make me feel better. Remember months ago, when I got sick, and you took care of me? You always do that. Who'll help take care of me if your not there? I need you CeCe."

Cassie looked into his eyes. "Alex…I…"

"Please. I'll do anything." He pleaded with her. "Please. I'll go down on my hands and knees. I'll apologize a million times. Just please, come home. I miss you. I miss your laugh. I miss your smile. I miss being called an idiot by you. I miss beating you in Monopoly. I miss everything about my best friend. I miss you. Please CeCe. Please come home."

Cassie didn't know what to say. She wanted to tell him no, to tell him that she couldn't. But the words wouldn't leave her mouth. Her head was screaming for her to just walk away now. But her heart gave her a different story. It told her she was miserable here alone. She missed her best friends. She missed TNA and ROH, and everything else. She missed her house. She missed Chris and Petey. She missed Alex.

"Please Cas." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Please."

Cassie sighed as she looked down. As she did, she caught sight of her watch. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at Alex.

"Your plane is leaving in ten minutes." She whispered.

"What!" Alex's eyes widened as well. "Crap."

"You shouldn't have come. You're missing your flight."

"I don't care. I didn't realize how much I had to see you until now." He shook his head. "You mean more to me than a stupid flight. Cornette can suck it up."

"I don't think he'll like that." Cassie pointed out.

"I don't care. Its worth it if I got to see you." Alex couldn't help but smile. "I can just catch one tomorrow anyways."

"That's short notice though."

"So? There's got to be at least one more seat left." He shrugged.

"Well hopefully there's more than one." Her eyes sparkled, defying everything her conscious was screaming at her.

"What does it matter if there's more than one?" Alex asked.

Cassie raised an eyebrow at him.

Alex's eyes widened further than he even knew possible. "YOUR COMING!"

"Ouch. I'm right here, you don't have to yell." She grumbled.

"Sorry." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Your coming?"

She sighed. "I miss you guys too."

Alex grinned the largest grin either had seen in a very long time. He quickly hugged her tightly, twirling around in a circle as he did so.

"I can't believe it!" he kept repeating over and over again.

"Ok, I'm getting dizzy now." Cassie pushed him away, but had a large smile on her face as well.

"Sorry. I'm just happy." He began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Cassie chuckled. "Come on, we better go check to make sure we can actually get a flight tomorrow."

"Oh right!" Alex nodded. "That and I'm kind of wet."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "That's your own fault."

"Yeah well…that's true I guess." He laughed.

"Come on, let's go."

"I'm glad you're coming by the way." Alex followed her.

Cassie looked over at him. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

**A/N: YAY!!!!! PARTAY!!! SHE'S COMING HOME!!! haha, sorry...seriously...i didn't even know i was gonna have that happen until i was like 3/4 of the way done the chapter lol.**

**So anyways, the chapter kinda went into Alex's thoughts on everything, and what he's thinking. he's clearly indecisive about it all, but he was able to get Cassie to come home. whose happy? oh yeah, totally me too lol.**

**had major writers block for this...but...oddly enough, started making icons today, and just got inspiration...again...Roderick Strong...yeah...hottie! oh and so is Jay and Mark Briscoe...tho i did accidentally mix those two up..but shhhhh :P.**

**anyways...till next time...**

**X.**


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter Sixty-Six:**

"I still say we should be worried about the fact that we haven't heard from Alex in days." Chris paced in the X Division locker room that Sunday night.

"Chill dude." Sonjay tried to calm him down. "I'm sure he just hanged with Jackie this weekend."

"But he wasn't on the plane." Chris pointed out. "And he wasn't at the meeting."

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about Chris." AJ assured him. "He's probably just off somewhere."

"But…"

"Chris, seriously." Petey cut him off. "I'm worried too, but your getting annoying now."

Chris grumbled before plopping down on the bench beside Jay.

"Don't worry dude, he has to be here for tonight anyways." Jay patted his shoulder.

"Yeah I guess." Chris mumbled as he flicked a stray thread off his lap.

"So…" Sonjay tried to change the subject. "Everyone have a good weekend?"

"Why the hell didn't he call or something if he wasn't going to get on the same plane!" Chris flew back up on his feet, clearly not over the previous conversation.

Everyone in the room groaned.

"Chris, give it a rest." Petey sighed.

"He could have had the common courtesy to tell us." Chris glared over at him. "Just because he doesn't care about us, doesn't mean we don't care about him."

"Who do you care about?" Alex's voice came from the door.

Everyone whipped their heads towards the smirking man.

"Me I'm guessing. Aww, that's Chris, I feel loved. Don't worry, there's a special place in my heart for you." Alex pat him on his back as he walked past him and over to an empty locker.

"Where were you?" Chris immediately asked. "You didn't get on the plane."

"Got caught up." Alex shrugged as he slung his bag from his shoulder and looked over at Chris. "Oh, and by the way, she's waiting outside the room to come in, so if someone could go over and tell her we're all decent…"

"Who says we want Jackie in here anyways?" Chris glared at him.

"Who said anything about Jackie?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Jackie's not even here"

"Then who the hell are you talking about?" Chris threw his hands up in the air.

"First off, calm down dude. And secondly, if you went to find out then you wouldn't have to ask."

Chris glared at him.

"Go on." Alex shooed him away. "Be a good boy and go open the door."

"Fuck off." Chris grunted before spinning around and walking towards the closed door.

Once there, he grabbed a hold of the handle and swung the door open, expecting some random chick to be on the other side. Instead, Chris' eyes widened as he took a step back.

"What?" Petey asked, trying to peer around the door from where he was sitting. "What?"

"C-Cas." He whispered.

"Hey." She smiled. "Guess you didn't expect me here did you?"

"CASSIE!" Petey jumped up at the sound of her voice and bounded over, practically pushing Chris over in the meanwhile.

Cassie laughed as Petey latched onto her, almost pushing them over.

"Petey…I cant completely breathe." Cassie shoved him off of her.

Petey just continued grinning at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you you're an idiot." Cassie rolled her eyes. "What do you think I'm doing here?"

"Your back?" Petey asked. "For good?"

"Well until someone else pisses me off." She joked.

"Can we bet on who it'll be?" AJ teased as he walked over and hugged her tightly. "Nice to see you back Cassie."

"Thanks. And lets not rock the boat just yet." She winked up at him before looking over at Chris. "You okay Chris?"

Chris still had the dazed look on his face.

"Chrissy?" Cassie waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello?"

"What?" he shook his head.

"You okay there?" she smiled up at him.

A huge grin folded onto his face as he grabbed her and hugged her close.

"I'm so glad your back. You have no idea of how happy I am to see you."

Cassie laughed. "Its good to see you too. Though we did just see each other Chris."

Chris put her at arms length. "I don't care. I can't believe you decided to come back."

"Yeah well." She shrugged.

"Wait…what happened to make you come back?" Petey asked.

Cassie nodded at the lone figure at the back of the room. Both Petey and Chris spun around to look at Alex, their mouths gaping open.

"You went to see her?" Petey asked.

Alex looked up from his bag and shrugged. "Wasn't really intentional. I just happened to walk to where she lived. Things happened, and we talked."

"So everything is okay between you two now?" Chris looked in between the two.

"As best they can be yes." Cassie nodded.

"Well that's great!" Petey exclaimed.

Alex rolled his eyes at him before looking Cassie in the eye. "Don't forget to go see Cornette."

She hit her forehead. "I almost forgot about that."

"Oh right…he'll be happy your back." Chris nodded.

"I'm sure you three are indebted to me as well." She smirked.

Chris and Petey gave her a confused look.

"Oh you know, how Cornette threatened to fire you if I didn't come back." She continued smirking as she saw their shocked faces. "Alex told me on the trip back."

"Hey don't glare at me." Alex held his hands up in defense as Petey immediately shot him a glare. "I was just speaking the truth."

"Hey, just be happy he isn't lying." Sonjay randomly stated.

"That is true." Cassie agreed. "But I better go. Wouldn't want Cornette to plan to give my title away now would we?"

"We'll see you later?" Petey asked hopefully.

"Course." She grinned. "We're gonna party all night long."

"Just no drinking." Chris scrunched up his nose.

"But I'm a fun drunk!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sure others have different thoughts to that one." Chris couldn't help but smile. "Go go, don't want to keep him waiting."

"Alright, bye guys. Oh and its nice to see everyone." She said the last remark to the rest in the locker room. "Later boys."

Cassie turned around swiftly and began walking away from the door. A grin remained on her face as she walked. She was happy to be back. She never really knew just how much she missed this place and all of her friends until now. It was nice just to walk along and give smiles to people she thought she'd never see again.

"Cassie?" a familiar deep voice asked.

Cassie's eyed sparkled as she looked and saw Low Ki coming out of a locker room a few feet away.

"Hey Ki." She grinned at him.

"You're here?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, this is just a figment of your imagination." She rolled her eyes before walking up to him and giving him a hug. "Course I'm here you idiot."

"What, Chris and Petey actually were able to convince you to come back?" he asked as he returned the hug.

"Alex did actually."

"Seriously?" Ki ended the hug and looked down at her.

"Yep. Surprising eh? But we talked I guess. Everything isn't back to how it was, but we're getting there." She shrugged. "Helped that I missed everyone."

"I knew you did. Now if you only listened to me to begin with." He smirked.

Cassie poked his arm. "Shut up. I have a tendency to be stubborn."

"Oh you've got that right." He rolled his eyes. "It's good to have you back though."

"Thanks." She grinned. "Its great to be back. Though speaking of which, I gotta go talk with Cornette."

Ki nodded. "Come see me after alright? Want to catch up with you."

"Alrightie." She gave him a quick hug. "See you later. And thanks for never giving up on me."

"No problem Cas." He kissed her forehead. "Have fun."

"Oh yeah, tons of fun." She replied sarcastically. "Five bucks says I'll get lectured."

"I'll take that bet." He smirked back.

"Thanks a lot Ki." She stuck out her tongue.

"No problem. Now hit the road." He pushed her slightly.

"Fine, I can see I'm not loved."

"Bye Cas." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." She waved at him before turning around, a huge grin on her face.

* * *

**A/N: well she's officially back now, and everyones happy :) yay!**

**i would have been done this 20 minutes ago...but i got distracted by ROH...Jack and Roderick are out with Cornette taking on Cabana and Jacobs...and if you know me...then you know i cant jsut not watch Jack and Roddy...haha Jack just did a kewl move! anyways...**

**till next time.**

**X.**


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter Sixty-Seven:**

"I wouldn't just like to say Mr. Cornette, that I'm very sorry for causing so much trouble for you and the rest of TNA management." Cassie inhaled sharply as she looked across the table at Jim Cornette. "I never planned to do what I did, and I feel ashamed that I handled the situation as I did. I fully apologize I had to put anyone through any stress due to my sudden departure."

Cornette gave her a surprising smile. "Miss. Collins, its perfectly alright. I had a feeling that you would be returning to us at some point. I would however, ask that if you ever feel like you need time away, or would like to go on a tour of Japan, or so on, all you need to do is speak to me or another member of Management, and we can see what we can do."

Cassie nodded. "I understand sir. I really am sorry about all of this. I know Alex, Chris, and Petey have been fighting a lot backstage, and I'm sorry about that. It revolves all around me, so I do give my fullest apologies."

Cornette held up a hand. "That's alright Miss. Collins. Sometimes friendships get a bit rough, and things go too far. But lets not talk any more about this, as everything is now settled due to you sitting here in my office. So lets talk about what you'll be doing tonight on the Pay Per View."

Cassie nodded and sat foreword.

"We figured since Miss. Gayda couldn't make it tonight for health reasons, we would have you shoot a promo discussing that in whatever manner you deem appropriate. As for a match tonight, management had the idea of you issuing an open challenge to the women roster. We'll of course will have to discuss possible partners." Cornette shuffled through some papers. "Does this sound alright to you so far?"

"Sounds great." Cassie nodded. "Though sir, I have an opponent in mind that I think would be great."

"Oh?" Cornette looked up with an interested look.

Cassie nodded again. "Yes sir. You see, Traci Brooks and I, we've had countless of matches, all great in my eyes of course. I think if given the chance out in the Impact Zone, the fans will eat it up."

Cornette tapped his chin for a moment. "I think that sounds great. This can always go into a feud if we see it go the right way tonight. Gail Kim is already starting into a feud with Christy Hemme, so that wont interfere with any future plans. I think this will be great then."

Cassie smiled.

"Well, it seems that's all I really need from you. Oh!" he jumped out of his chair.

Cassie raised an eyebrow as he turned around and grabbed something off of the table behind him.

"I think this belongs to you." Cornette turned back around and handed her a bright shinny championship belt.

Cassie grinned as she eagerly took the belt and ran a hand over the surface.

"Thank you sir." She starred down at it, mesmerized.

"You very welcome Miss. Collins." He nodded with a smile of his own. "Welcome back to TNA."

Cassie stood and shook his hand. "Thank you Mr. Cornette."

"My pleasure."

* * *

"Lexi?" Cassie popped her head into the locker room she was at earlier.

"Ugh. When we got back into this whole friend thing, I thought we wouldn't have those annoying nicknames anymore." Alex made a face as he walked out of the bathroom, his ring attire now on.

"Well you still call me CeCe." Cassie shrugged before looking around. "Where is everyone?"

"Catering or whatever." Alex threw his street clothes into his bag. "I didn't really listen to what they said."

"Typical you." She rolled her eyes.

"Yep." He nodded before plopping down onto the bench. "So, get everything cleared up?"

"Yeppers." Cassie nodded as she bounced over. "Got a promo to cut on Jackie, and issuing an open challenge which we're going to have Traci take up."

"Sweet, that sounds like fun." Alex nodded as he fished out his phone from his pocket.

"So does she know what happened?" Cassie asked suddenly.

"Does she know about what that happened?" Alex raised an eyebrow but continued to check his messages.

"The whole kiss thinger from awhile ago." Cassie twirled a strand of blonde hair around a finger.

"Oh um." Alex glanced over at her before back down at the phone. "I'm not sure. Maybe?"

"Oh." Cassie frowned.

"Why?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I guess I just don't want too much heat between the mother of my best friend's child."

Alex shrugged as well. "I'm sure there's not. You just worry too much."

"Yeah I guess I do." Cassie agreed. "I guess I should probably go and get ready. See you later for my promo?"

"Sure thing sweet thing." Alex looked up and winked with a smile.

Cassie rolled her eyes as she stood up. She threw Alex a smile before turning and leaving the room. Once the door was closed, she started on her way towards the women's locker room. She was halfway there when something caught her eye. She stopped, raising an eyebrow as she glanced over at the monitors that were set up beside the face tunnel. Looking around and seeing no one there, Cassie shrugged and walked up to them, seeing what was going on in the ring. Seeing at it was still an hour until fans would be let in, the arena was practically empty, except for stage hands setting things up and the sound crew making sure everything was working right. In the ring, Austin and Roderick stood chatting with Chris Daniels along with someone else. Intrigued, and knowing that neither of the three knew she was back, Cassie plastered on a true smile and began walking up the tunnel. Once reaching the stage, she leaned against the side and watched as the four wrestlers continued to talk. What shocked her the most though, was when Austin had moved to the side, and revealed Matt Sydal standing beside Chris. She was shocked to say the least.

With a huge grin on her face though, Cassie began down the long ramp heading to the six-sided ring. She was fortunate enough to have the four men in such a deep conversation, that neither of the four looked her way, allowing for her to sneak up on them. Reaching the ring, she folded her arms over her chest and smirked up at them.

"Discussing how you're going to greet me?"

The voice penetrated their conversation, making them all turn and look at her. Austin was the first one to react as his eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

"Your back!" he exclaimed.

"Course." She smiled at him.

And in one quick moment, Cassie found herself down on the ground, with Austin on top of her, holding her tightly.

"I'm glad your back." He kept mumbling over and over again.

Cassie couldn't help but laugh as she patted him on the back awkwardly.

"Thanks Austin. But could you maybe get off of me?"

"Nope." Austin shook his head and grinned down at her.

"Oh get off of her you ogre." Roderick rolled his eyes as he, with the help of Matt, pulled Austin up.

"So what made you change your mind?" Chris asked as he helped Cassie up to her feet.

"Alex." Cassie shrugged.

"Seriously?" Matt asked.

"Alex Shelley?" Austin asked at the same time.

She chuckled. "Yes, Alex Shelley. We just had a talk. Kind of figured stuff out. That and I did kind of miss you guys."

"And me?" Austin asked hopefully.

"No, I meant everyone but you." Cassie rolled her eyes before smiling. "Course I meant you too."

Roderick slapped Austin across the head before leaning over and hugging Cassie.

"Its nice to see you back."

"Thanks. Oh hey, speaking of which." Cassie turned to Matt. "weren't you in Japan the last time I left you?"

"I was." Matt nodded. "But I got a call a little bit later that day from Jim Cornette. Apparently they wanted to strengthen their tag team division. So they brought up the idea of Chris and me. Hopped on a plane the next day. Just arrived this morning actually."

"Oh. Wait, your working here now too?" her eyes sparked.

"Newest member as of two hours ago." Matt nodded with a grin.

"That's fantastic!" Cassie embraced him. "Now my fav GN boys work with me almost all the time."

"Yeah. Already getting sick of it." Austin mocked gagging.

"Funny, and I thought you were glad I was back." She glared at him.

"Oh I am." He quickly nodded. "I really really am."

"We get the picture." Chris rolled his eyes. "I am glad your back though. Ali will be thrilled to hear this."

"I'm sure I'll get hugged especially hard from her. Though speaking of which, I was on my fav to the women's locker room before I saw you guys here. Just thought I'd say hello before heading on." Cassie glanced down at her watch.

"Alright, well we don't want to keep you. And we have to discuss things about tonight anyways." Roderick gave her one last hug. "Its nice to have you back."

"Yeah, its nice to be back."

* * *

**A/N: so not a very eventful chapter...Cassie got her belt back, set up a PPV match, and Austin was acting like typical Austin. oh, though did bring Matt Sydal more into the story...what? i cant help it...its MATT SYDAL! who wouldn't love that cutie! lol anyways...thought i'd make him and Daniels a tag team like they were in reality..even though this story still kinda takes place in the past...but hey...its my story...my...view...screw it...i'm behind in my dates so i'm making it up as i go along lol.**

**haha, i'm so pumped tho...the ROH PPV is on tonight, so due to that, i'm gonna be so hyper that i'll more than likely write :) yay! lol**

**anyways...till next time**

**X.**


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter Sixty Eight:**

Alex sighed heavily as he looked down at the text message he had just received from his girlfriend, and the expecting mother of his child. She seemed less than happy that he hadn't talked to her about the Japan trip and bringing Cassie back. Actually, it was more like she was livid. Alex felt at odds end. He couldn't apologize for doing what he had done. First off, he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to keep his job. And secondly, Cassie would always be his best friend. While Alex was unsure if he loved Jackie or not, he did care about her enough to feel a touch guilty however. She was, at the end of the day, pregnant with his child and he had to remember that. But what about Cassie?

He sighed again as he ran a hand through his dark hair. Maybe he should call Jackie, get it all cleared up. But he didn't know what to say to her. He could lie and say he was sorry, but lying was what had gotten him into this whole mess with Cassie. Lying wasn't exactly the thing he wanted to start a relationship off with. So what would he say?

Before he could come up with a plan however, the locker room door opened. He sighed in relief as he glanced up to see Cassie smiling over at him, dressed in her ring attire. He looked her over and felt his heart twist painfully. He hated the lingering feelings he had for her. He just wished they would disappear and make the whole situation easier.

"I have my promo in a few." Cassie told him, leaning against the doorway.

Alex nodded as he shot a glance down back down at his phone briefly. Shaking his head, he just dumped it into his bag and stood. He grabbed his camera off the bench and walked over to the blonde woman.

"All set?" he asked.

She nodded, her smile widening. Alex couldn't help but share the smile. She was always able to make him smile, without even saying a word.

"I'm completely pumped." Cassie grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the interview area.

"Your completely overly hyper." He laughed at her bubbly antics. After all these years, he was still amazed at how hyper she could get when she was happy.

"Meh, no law against it." She shrugged, her eyes brightening as they arrived to the set. "Hey JB!"

Jeremy Borash nodded as he finished chatting with the camera man.

"So what's the promo on anyways?" Alex fiddled with his camera, trying his hardest not to watch her for too long. He wasn't sure he could control his feelings for her very much longer.

"Jackie and the match tonight." She cocked her head to the side. "And whatever good old JB throws at me."

Alex nodded as Borash walked over, microphone in hand.

"You two all ready?"

Cassie nodded excitedly as she adjusted the title on her shoulder. Borash glanced over at the camera man before he signaled they were on the air. Borash turned back to the couple who were smirking widely.

"It's been a month since we've seen the Knockouts Champion, Cassie Collins. Everyone's been wondering, where have you been all this time?" Borash questioned.

Cassie looked up at him before shooting a glance at Alex. Alex nodded and in one quick swift movement he pushed Borash to the side. Cassie snickered as she faced the camera, a wicked look on her face.

"You all want to know where I've been?" she paused for a moment as she shot a short glance at Alex. "I've been off in the Orient perfecting god's gift to the world. But I'm back, and was well ready to show that piece of white trash, Jackie Gayda just who she was dealing with. But what do I find out when I get here? TNA's little bimbo princes was off for 'health' reasons." Cassie let out a snort. "Health reasons my ass. She was just scared to face me. And who wouldn't be? I am the greatest women's wrestler this world has ever seen. There's no one who can come even close to this kind of talent. But it seems as if there's some knockouts here that think they can go toe to toe with me in the ring. Well you know what, who am I to take away your chance to be humiliated? So tonight, I'm holding an open to challenge to any of the women in the back for this lovely belt. Just keep in mind ladies, that I'll kick your ass in whatever means possible to keep this title around my waist."

Cassie smirked before the camera man signaled that they were now off air. Her features completely changed to an excited one as she turned to grin at Alex happily.

"Awesome job CeCe." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But that's no surprise."

She squealed in happiness as they headed back down the hallway. Alex shot a small glance over to the smaller woman as they walked. Why did she have this effect on him? He felt nervous around her, his heart twisting whenever they were close. He absolutely hated it. All he wanted was a normal friendship between him and his best friend. But that didn't look like it was ever going to happen. Why couldn't he just be with Jackie and be happy? Why did he have to feel anything towards Cassie besides friendship? It was just making everything awkward and harder than it should be.

"Hey guys." Petey peeked his head out of Team Canada's locker room. "Great promo babe."

"Thanks Pete." She grinned widely.

"Oh Alex, the guys wanna go over the Elimination match tonight. I was just heading over there now." Petey informed Alex.

Alex nodded, relieved that he had an excuse to not be around Cassie for a bit. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Alright, I'll let you guys go do your thing." Cassie smiled, slipping Alex's arm off her shoulder. "I should go talk with Traci anyways. Have fun and don't kill each other in your match."

"Would we do that?" Petey smirked.

"Yes." She rolled her eyes.

"Too true." Petey laughed as Cassie waved and turned back down the hallway in the opposite direction.

The two friends began walking in silence, something Petey was a bit put off by. Alex was never quiet unless something was up. Petey shot a glance over at the Detroit Native, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He had a pensive look about him, as if he was in deep thought. Petey didn't even need to ask to guess at what he was thinking about. It was common knowledge to Chris and him that Alex still loved Cassie. They could see it in the way they looked at one another. He just wished they would stop being idiots and just tell one another about how they felt. Before Alex did something stupid and tried to stay with Jackie.

At just the thought of the other woman in Alex's life, Petey cringed. He despised her. She wasn't good for Alex, after all she had been the reason Alex hadn't stopped Cassie from going to Japan. She had never had a good reputation with men, which was half the reason Petey didn't believe that she was pregnant with Alex's child. If she was even pregnant at all! But the last time he and Chris tried to bring it up, Alex had blown up at them. If there was only a way to prove this to their friend, then he and Cassie could finally get together. And Petey was down right determined he was going to make it happen, one way or another.

* * *

**A/N: **Almost 2 years later and it's finally updated! its prob a bit short, but hey, its updated lol. Don't ask how i got inspired to write this. i was completely bored, not sure what to write, and just randomly did this. no promise that i'll get alot of other chapters done, but i'm trying :) i have a busy next few days hanging with friends due to Canada Day festival at our waterfront, and a small job thing for my dad's work, so i'll try and find time to update BWAT, Still Got Yesterday, and this story.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter Sixty Nine:

Cassie ran a hand through her blonde hair as she sat alone in catering, watching the X Division Elimination match. She had just finished her match with Traci, and was exhausted. She always was after a match with her good friend. They pushed each other, and brought out one another's best. Cassie couldn't imagine having any other return match than against the woman.

But she was so exhausted she opted out of managing Alex, and instead decided to rest in catering to cheer him on. She smiled as wrestlers came and went through the room, some occasionally stopping to chat. However she wasn't in a talkative mood. She was too busy trying to figure everything out. She was relieved that Petey had grabbed Alex when he did earlier. She wasn't sure how much longer she could be around Alex alone anymore. The feelings she felt towards him were just too strong now. She could hardly contain them. But she couldn't tell him. He was with Jackie now, and they were expecting a baby. She couldn't come between that. She'd never forgive herself if she did. So she had to sit back and watch the man that she loved, her own best friend, have a family of his own. Even though she desperately wished she was in Jackie's position, she knew that it just wasn't meant to be. Cassie Collins and Alex Shelley were just not meant to happen.

However, that didn't stop the impending feelings she had for him. She had butterflies in her stomach every time he smiled. Her heart ached every time she looked up into his warm brown eyes. Every time he laughed she would feel her legs go weak. He didn't even know the effect he had on her when they were together. It was getting harder and harder to mask. How was she supposed to go through life like this? But she couldn't just stop being friend with Alex. She tried that multiple times and it always bit her in the ass. She was tired of running. She just wanted to stay put and be happy. But could she do that with these damn feelings?

She wasn't so sure. She had only been here a day or so and she was already feeling like she couldn't do this. How was she supposed to last through years of this torment?

"Penny for your thoughts?" AJ slipped into the chair across the table from her.

She smiled weakly at the southern man. "Just a lot of stuff going on."

"Well if you need to talk, let it out or whatever, I'm here." He smiled, his blue eyes holding sincerity. "I know we haven't exactly know each other for that long, but I feel like we're pretty good friends."

"Thanks AJ. I appreciate that."

"So did you have fun in Japan?" he decided to drop asking her what was wrong. If he knew one thing about the woman, is that you didn't push her. He had seen first hand just how emotional she could get.

"For the most part." she nodded, placing her chin in the palm of her hand as her elbow rested on the table. "Got a chance to wrestle with some great people."

"That's good. Miss us at all?"

"Would I be back here if I didn't?" Cassie chuckled.

"Very true." He nodded with a wider smile. "I should prob head out for my match soon, but if you ever need to talk…"

"I'll come looking for you." She felt appreciative of how much he seemed to care.

He smiled warmly as he stood and headed out of catering. She hardly had a chance to breathe however as two men came bouncing over to her. Cassie laughed as Austin plopped down beside her, his interesting attire making him look absolutely ridiculous. Roderick slid across from them, a grin on his face.

"ROH this weekend." Roderick brought up. "You gonna be there?"

"Sure." She nodded. "Any chance to annoy Jack."

"He's actually going on an extended tour to Mexico so he won't be around for awhile." Austin piped up. "Thankfully. The twerp gets on my nerves."

Cassie pouted. "But who am I supposed to insult now?"

"Austin." Roderick smirked.

"Not cool man." Austin shot him a glare as Cassie snickered. "I don't appreciate that Cas."

"Oh you know I totally love you Aussie." She patted his arm.

"You better." he crossed his arms. "Or else."

"Or else what? You'll attack me with your gay powers?" she couldn't help but tease the man. How could she not when he was dressed like he was.

"Grr, I hate you all." He moaned, his head hitting the table.

"We hate you back." Roderick snorted.

"Wow you all are so nice." Matt came over, an amused look on his face.

"Well he's the one who looks gay…not our fault." Cassie held her hands up in defense.

"Too true." Matt nodded. "Oh hey, Chris asked me if I saw you to tell you that he wants to see you."

"Any excuse to get away from Gay Man." She smirked as she stood. "I'll see you boys later."

They all nodded and waved, minus Austin, as she headed out of the large room. If for nothing else, she was glad to be back in the states just for those three. They had really grown into part of her family over the last few months and she was glad. With everything going on with her feelings for Alex, it was nice to be able to have a distraction in the form of those goofs.

"Yo Cas!" Chris greeted her as she rounded a corner near his locker room. "Finally found ya."

She smiled as she caught up to him and gave him a small hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you at all tonight."

"That's because you totally ditched me after like five minutes." He pouted.

"Hey, if I'm not allowed to pout you can't either." She pointed at him accusingly.

Chris laughed as he wrapped an arm around her and lead her into his empty locker room. The other occupants were still in the ring wrestling to see who would be the number one contender to the X Division title currently held by Samoa Joe.

"So how have you been?" Chris questioned as they sat on the bench beside one another.

"Pretty good. It's nice to be back here." She shrugged.

"Just pretty good? Nothing going on at all?" he persisted.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "No…everything is fine."

"Oh." Chris rubbed the back of his neck.

He had just finished a quick chat with Petey before his match, and he was all for trying to get their two best friends together. He hated the idea of Alex being with Jackie, the lying whore. But like Petey, he was unsure of how to make the two realize they should be together. He just wanted both of them to be happy. Cassie and Alex both deserved that, especially after the past few years and everything that had gone on. But both of them were too stubborn to admit anything. It was frustrating to Chris. If he could outright tell Cassie that he loved her all those months ago, then why couldn't Alex do the same? Hell, even Petey had the balls to do it. Alex just needed to grow up and realize that there really was nothing better than Cassie out there.

"What's going on Chris?" she looked at him skeptically. She had known him long enough to know when he was up to something.

"Nothing." He shot her an innocent look, but failing miserably.

"I'm not an idiot." She turned her body towards him, an annoyed look on her face. "Spill."

"Nothing I swear." He shook his head.

But his thoughts were thinking another thing. Maybe he should just talk to her about telling Alex? What could it hurt? She'd just say no anyways, so it couldn't hurt to just try and get the idea across.

"Chris…"

"You have to tell Alex that you love him." He blurted out. Her eyes widened as Chris ran a hand through his hair. "Didn't mean to just blurt that out…but you do."

"Chris, god not this again." She groaned, covering her face with her hands. "It's not going to happen."

"Come on Cas, you have to. You two need to be together."

"Not going to happen Chris. Alex and I…we just can't be together. That's the end of it." Cassie stood, not wanting to talk about this any longer.

"Cas!" Chris quickly stood and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "What was the point of coming back if you two are just going to go back to your old habits?"

Her face grew dark as she pushed his arm away. "I came back because my three best friends travelled thousands of miles for me, and then put their jobs on the line just to let me be happy. That's why I came back, not because of the feelings I had for Alex."

He sighed. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn? "But you love him Cassie. And he loves you."

"And he's with Jackie and they're going to have a baby. That's it. I'm not going to put myself in the middle of that. I won't be the one that breaks up a perfectly happy family." Cassie insisted.

"But who knows if she's actually telling the truth!" Chris exclaimed. "The girl has the worst rep. She's probably just stringing Alex along because she doesn't want you to have him. Did you ever notice that she only brought up the pregnancy thing after you two kissed?"

She shrugged. That meant absolutely nothing. Maybe it was just the right time.

"Stop being an idiot Cas. Just tell him for fuck sakes. You love him. He loves you. You two need to be with one another. You deserve to be happy."

"Yeah, I do deserve to be happy, and unfortunately that's all not going to happen." She shook her head. She wasn't going to give her hopes up. She knew her and Alex weren't meant for each other. Why even think that they were? "Alex and I, we aren't meant to be together. Everyone thinks we are, but we're not. We're friends and we're destined to stay that way. End of story. He's with Jackie, and I'm single. Done. Finished. Please just let this drop Chris."

"But…"

"No!" Cassie held up a hand. "Please Chris, just leave it alone. It's hard enough to deal with without having you and Petey breathing down my neck trying to get us together. And I know you and Petey are in this together. So please, just both of you stop. If for nothing else, to make me happy. Because I just want to be happy. Just let me move on."

Chris sighed. He hated to see that look on her face. She looked heartbroken. He never meant to hurt her; he just wanted her to be happy. But maybe she was right. Maybe they should just leave it alone and let her move on. But there was still a part of Chris that knew he couldn't do that. Cassie and Alex were indeed meant for one another. And he and Petey were going to make sure it happened.

* * *

**A/N:** w00t, on a roll lol. poor Cassie and Alex...they need to be together :( hopefully Chris and Petey can help them!


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter Seventy:**

"Drinks all around." Petey placed a shot glass in front of the four friends later that night.

"You and me drinking together is probably a bad idea." Cassie shot Petey a smirk.

"Probably true." He laughed. "But your home so we need to celebrate."

"Hey, any reason for alcohol is good with me." Alex grabbed his shot and quickly downed it. "You're all slow."

The other three laughed before following Alex and quickly shooting down their shots. After the awkward confrontation between Cassie and Chris they decided to just put everything behind them for this evening. Both Alex and Petey unfortunately lost their match, but were in good spirits afterwards. Everyone they could find was now at the closest bar, celebrating another excellent PPV, as well as the return of the women's champion.

"Oh that's Jackie!" Alex's eyes brightened as his phone went off. "I'll be back."

Cassie's face fell as Alex slid from the booth and headed to a secluded area of the bar. At feeling Petey and Chris looking at her knowingly, she quickly masked the hurt she was feeling and plastered on a fake smile.

"I'm gonna go se AJ and Daniels." She quickly slide from the bench and hurried over to the other side of the bar.

Petey and Chris exchanged looks as they watched her leave.

"This is never going to happen at this rate." Petey sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

Chris shrugged. "I have no idea. She won't listen to me, and I don't think pestering her is going to help at all. You should have seen her face earlier. It broke my heart."

"I just want them together. We haven't all gone through this just for them to be miserable apart."

"I agree." Chris nodded. "But I have no idea what we can do to fix this. I mean what else is there but to talk to them, and we both know they're too stubborn to listen."

"What if we proved that Jackie was lying?" Petey suggested, tapping his chin. "I mean it'll be hard for Alex, but by the sounds of what Cas told you, that's the main reason she isn't doing anything."

"How exactly are we going to do that though?" Chris questioned.

"Not a clue." Petey shrugged, sighing as he began to grow frustrated. "I wish there was just an easy way to fix all of this."

"Sadly we're not that lucky." Chris frowned, agreeing with the Canadian.

"Not that lucky for what?" Alex rejoined the two, looking between them both in confusion.

"Oh nothing." Petey quickly waved it off. "So what did Jackie want?"

"Just wanted to say hi." Alex shrugged. "And see what I was doing and when I'd be able to get up to see her."

"She's a controlling one isn't she." Chris attempted as a joke.

However, Alex took it a bit more personal.

"I don't get why you guys don't like her." Alex glared at the two of them, angry that his two best friends couldn't accept her in his life. "Cassie accepted her, why can't you two?"

"Because we think she's a lying whore." Chris let out before realizing what he had just said. "Oops."

"For the last time, she's not playing me." Alex grew angrier as he clutched his phone tightly. "She's having my child and I…I…"

"What, you love her?" Petey raised an eyebrow. "Please, go ahead and say it."

"I care for her." Alex retorted instead.

"You can't even say it. Which means you don't love her and probably never will. You love Cassie." Chris pointed out.

"Yeah well I'm with Jackie and she's having my baby. I'm just not going to abandon her." Alex fought.

"That's the worst reason ever!" Petey threw his hands up in frustration. "Why be with someone if you don't love them?"

"Well how do you know that I won't love her? It's just all new. But I could." He argued.

"Yeah okay Alex." Chris rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say man. And when you find out it's not yours, don't come running to us."

"It's my baby Damnit!" Alex nearly shouted, causing a few people to look over at them in interest. "Just get over it. Me and Cassie are not going to be together. Stop whatever scheming I'm sure you're planning. Not. Going. To. Happen. Ever. I'm with Jackie, I'm going to be with Jackie, and nothing any of you do is going to stop that."

He stood abruptly. He too angry to be sitting with the two people in the world he thought would understand his decisions. He couldn't deal with their negativity about Jackie. Why couldn't they just be happy he was going to have a family? Why couldn't they just be happy for him? As he told them this, unfortunately he was completely unaware that Cassie chose that time to walk back towards the table.

"I don't love Cassie. I will never be with Cassie. It won't happen, so stop trying to make it happen!" Alex shouted at the two, though part of him was just trying to convince himself of the fact that he was never going to be with the woman he loved. "I'm going to be with Jackie. She's going to have my child, and we're going to be happy. End of story."

Alex twisted around, ready to walk away from the situation. He immediately saw Cassie's shocked face as he turned and felt absolutely horrible. He didn't expect for her to be there, to hear everything he said. He knew that deep down inside most of it were lies. He loved Cassie and he wanted nothing more than to just be with her. But he couldn't. Jackie was having his child and that was that. He wasn't going to be like his father and abandon his child. He was going to make a family, even if it broke his heart to do so.

"Shit, Cas…"

"It's alright Alex." She shook her head, quickly masking any emotion she displayed moments ago. "I feel the same way. Really it's okay."

Alex nodded as he slowly moved around her and headed towards the exit of the bar. As he passed by her, he felt horrible. He just wanted to scoop her up and tell her everything. He just wanted to kiss her and never have her leave his side. But that couldn't happen. That would never happen. They were just destined to not be together.

After Alex left, Cassie slowly slid back into the booth, trying to ignore the looks both Petey and Chris were giving her. She was just trying to wrap her mind around everything. While she knew she and Alex could never be together, actually hearing him say that just hurt. It broke her heart to have to hear those words come out of his mouth, to hear that he didn't love her, to hear that they couldn't be together. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. But she couldn't. She couldn't let the others see the effect it was having on her. So she plastered on a fake smile and pretended everything was fine. Though she suspected neither of the men at the table bought her fake act.

Chris slipped an arm around her shoulders, not saying a word as he squeezed them in a comforting manner. Petey sighed across from them, wishing there was something he could do. He knew Cassie was trying to put up an act. But he and Chris saw right through it. They saw the flash of hurt as Alex said those words. They saw her heart break at that very moment, and neither knew what to do but just sit there and silently comfort her. What else could they possibly do?

* * *

**A/N:** wow, 70 chapters! craziness. and i totally have the ball rolling on this story lol. I just can't stop writing! which is good cuz i have 2 years worth of updates to make up for lol.


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter Seventy One: There's A Wall**

_Knock Knock Knock_

Cassie stuck her head out of the bathroom, straightener in her hand as she glanced towards the door. As the knocking persisted she sighed and set it down on the bathroom counter and headed towards the hotel door. Opening it, she was shocked to find Alex standing there, his hands stuffed into his jean pockets, a guilty look on his face.

"Hi." Cassie bit her lip as she looked at her friend shyly. She felt awkward being around him after the previous night.

"Hey." Alex replied just as shyly. "I just wanted to say sorry about last night. I didn't mean it to sound like that."

At the mention of last night Cassie felt her stomach flip. "It's okay. Really."

"I just feel bad." He bowed his head.

"Don't Lex, its okay." She inhaled sharply and laid a hand on his arm. "It's fine."

He shot a glance up at her and tried to smile. Though she could tell that he was anything but happy just by the look in his eyes. His usually bright brown eyes seemed dull and lifeless. She hated that look, but she didn't know what to do to make it better.

"Can we talk?" he cocked his head to the side.

"Sure." Cassie stepped aside, allowing for him to enter the room.

He walked in and just stood in the middle of the room looking awkward. It felt so surreal to see him feel this uncomfortable when he was alone with her. Cassie felt, if it was possible, even more upset at seeing their friendship starting to fall apart because of this all. She wanted her old best friend back, the one who would just plop onto the bed without a care, the one who had a grin on his face all the time. This was an Alex that she didn't want to stick around.

"You can sit." Cassie directed towards the bed.

Alex gazed over at the bed before shaking his head, forcing a sigh out of Cassie.

"Alex stop acting weird." She let out, walking over to him. "I don't like weird acting Alex"

"Sorry." He mumbled with a shrug.

"Don't be sorry, just stop acting like we're strangers." she tugged at his arm and pulled him to the double bed in the room and pulled him down beside her. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Jackie is coming to the tapings tonight." He informed me.

"Oh." She felt her face fall. Why did she have to come? As if this wasn't hard enough to deal with.

"Yeah. I thought you should know." He fiddled with his hands before sighing and looking up at Cassie. "Look, about last night…"

"Alex, for the last time, its fine!" she couldn't help but sound annoyed. She wished he would just stop bringing it up. "Let's just move on."

"But…"

"Alex!" she shot him a warning look.

"fine." He nodded, though not looking like he was through with the topic. "So um…"

"Was the whole reason you're here because you wanted to tell me Jackie was coming?" she questioned.

_I'd run away but I can't escape the power of your pride  
Your eyes are cold like an empty soul and I'm burning up inside  
There's nothing wrong with letting go and you're still diggin' in  
We're racing to the bottom and I' can't find the end_

"Well kinda I guess." He shrugged.

Cassie mumbled a curse before standing up. "Well you did that so I guess you can go."

"Huh?" He looked up in surprise. "Why?"

"Because you're acting like we barely know one another and I hate it." She exclaimed.

"I'll stop?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. Sometimes she just wanted to hit him. Really really hard over the head.

"Just go Alex. I can't deal with this right now." She shook her head and pointed towards the door.

"Cassie…"

"No Alex, just go. I don't want to hear about your girlfriend, I don't want excuses for last night. I just want you to start acting like my best friend again." she stopped him.

He bowed his head but nodded and stood up. He went to walk past but stopped to look down at her.

_And there's a wall  
Standing here between us  
And that's all that's keeping you from freedom  
And I keep pushing harder and you keep getting stronger  
You won't break cause you're afraid you'll fall  
And there a wall_

"Just go Lex." She pleaded with him. She wasn't really sure how much longer she could keep up this charade. All she wanted to do was break down when he was around. Why did she have to love someone who didn't feel the same way?

"Cas, I'm sorry." He moved a hand up to cup her cheek while his other tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm really sorry."

Tears sprung to her eyes as she tried to look away.

"Please just go Alex." She was begging by now. She needed him to leave. She needed to just crawl under the sheets and cry.

_You love me when you want to and you find reasons to fight  
Another lame excuse to keep the devil on you side  
Trying hard to hide those scares that I've already seen  
Your beat up heart's not the only thing that's keeping you from me_

Her bottom lip began to quiver as his thumb ran over her lips softly. She wanted to push him away, to make him leave her alone. But she was frozen. All she really wanted deep down inside was for him to be with her. All she wanted was to have him love her.

"Cassie…" he whispered, his head bowing until his lips met hers.

She tried to fight the kiss off. She knew they shouldn't be kissing. He had a girlfriend, and she was supposed to be getting over him. But it just felt so good. His lips up against hers, his hands cupping her face just felt so right. She didn't ever want it to end. She just wanted to stay like this forever.

But unfortunately something clicked in Alex and he quickly pulled away. He looked away, an ashamed look crossing his face as he took a step back.

"I'm sorry Cas. I didn't mean to." He turned towards the door and slowly strode towards it.

Cassie raised a hand to lightly touch where he had just kissed her.

"I'll see you later" he mumbled.

_And there's a wall  
Standing here between us  
And that's all that's keeping you from freedom  
And I keep pushing harder and you keep getting stronger  
You won't break cause you're afraid you'll fall  
And there a wall_

She wanted to stop him, to tell him how she felt. But she couldn't. The words wouldn't form, her feet wouldn't move. She just stood there as he slowly opened the door. Why couldn't she stop him? Why couldn't she just damn well admit how she felt?

_Pain has made you weak and hard  
I will never be as strong_

He shot one last glance back at her before sighing and leaving the room. As soon as the door closed behind him she broke down. She fell to her knees as the tears stained her cheeks. Why did she have to be such a fool? She was losing the man she loved, and in the long run, her best friend.

_As strong...  
As this wall  
Standing here between us  
And that's all that's keeping you from freedom  
And I keep pushing harder and you keep getting stronger  
You won't break cause you're afraid you'll fall  
With this wall_

* * *

**A/N:** The song in this chapter is There's A Wall by Miranda Lambert, which i totally don't own so theres a little disclaimer for you all. It's an amazing song and if you havent heard it, youtube it cuz it's so sad :( but like perfect for their relationship right now. hopefully you all like :) i'm procrastinating doing work so i can write so you better all enjoy it haha :p


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter Seventy Two:**

"What's going on sweetie?" Chris questioned as soon as Cassie slid into the booth beside him.

It was hours later after Alex had come over and Cassie needed to talk. She didn't care that it was with the two people that would pester her to death with the issue. They were her best friends and that's all she wanted right now. So she had called them up after her breakdown and asked them to meet her for lunch. They of course obliged and now here they were. Chris immediately wrapped an arm around her as Petey held onto a hand tightly, rubbing small circles in a comforting manner.

"Talk to us, you sounded terrible over the phone." Petey frowned. He hated watching her sit there and look as depressed as she did. All he wanted to do was tell her everything would be alright. But he wasn't sure if that was even true anymore.

"Alex came over this morning." She bit her lip, her eyes already tearing up.

"What did he want?" Chris asked, but he was afraid of the answer.

"I don't even know." She dropped her head into a hand. "He told me Jackie was coming tonight, and was saying sorry about last night."

"He should be doing more than apologizing." Petey growled. He didn't appreciate the way Alex approached the issue last night.

"Then he…" she choked up. "He…"

"He what sweetie?" Chris rubbed her back softly. "What happened?"

"He kissed me." she finally got out, a tear escaping down her face.

Chris and Petey exchanged a look as she quickly whipped it away.

"Why did he have to kiss me? God it felt so good. Why did he have to go and do that?" she sniffed.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Chris tried to comfort.

"But at least this shows that he still likes you." Petey tried to point out.

"But doesn't he get that it hurts!" she couldn't stop the tears that were now pouring down her face. "To have him kiss me, and then leave and know I can't have that, doesn't he get that hurts so much. It feels like my heart is being ripped out piece by piece. Why do I have to love him? God!"

"Oh sweetie I'm sorry." Petey tightened his hold on her hand, wishing he could take all of her pain away. Why did that jackass have to kiss her and make her all upset? That was a selfish move on Alex's part.

"I don't want to feel this way anymore. Why can't it just stop." She sobbed out.

Chris pulled her into a tight embrace, trying to calm her down. Petey quickly slipped from the booth and headed outside of the building. He had a bone to pick with a certain someone. He couldn't just do that to Cassie. If she meant anything to Alex, then he would just stop with the games. Petey pulled his phone out and dialed the familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Shelley what the fuck were you thinking?" Petey immediately growled.

"Huh? What are you talking about Petey?" Alex questioned in confusion.

"You kissed her? Why the fuck would you do that? She's a complete wreck!"

Alex frowned. "How do you know about that?"

"She called me crying asking us to meet for lunch and told us everything. She's having a complete break down because of you Alex. She loves you, and you kissed her after you publicly announce that you would never love or be wit her. Why would you do that?"

"I didn't think…"

"That's right you didn't think! She's your best friend Alex, and you treat her like that?" Petey shook his head in disbelief. "We just got her back Alex, I don't want to lose her again because you go around doing crap like this."

"Dude, I seriously didn't think this would happen. I didn't mean to kiss her I swear." He defended. "It just happened. I regret it okay? I hate that I apparently put her through hell this morning. I hate seeing her hurt and knowing I'm the reason why. I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to." Petey snapped. "I think you should think long and hard before you decide to stay with Jackie. Because there's a fantastic girl here who Chris and I both sacrificed our feelings for because we know how much you two loved one another. Don't make everything that's happened be for no reason."

"I can't talk about this right now." Alex replied gruffly. "Jackie will be here any minute."

"Whatever man. Don't expect her to stay around to watch you be with her. And I can't really blame her for feeling this way. What you did was a bastard move."

"I'm sorry okay? I have to go. Tell her I'm sorry."

Petey went to reply but Alex had already hung up. He cursed his friend before slapping his phone closed and heading back inside the restaurant. By the time he reached the table he saw Cassie had calmed down a bit, her head now resting on Chris' shoulder as he rubbed her back slowly.

"Feeling a bit better sweetie?" Petey kissed her forehead before sliding back into the booth across from the two.

She shook her head as she sniffed.

"Why don't we just get some food and try to forget what happened for now?" he suggested.

She shrugged. It would be a miracle if she ever forgot this morning. It was just too painful to forget.

* * *

Cassie sat alone in the stands at the impact zone, trying to clear her thoughts. She still couldn't believe what had happened earlier. She was absolutely terrified to see Alex now for whatever they would have to do for the tapings. She didn't want to see him. She knew she would just break down at the sight of him. But she couldn't avoid him. They had a job to do. She couldn't very well just leave again. That wasn't fair to TNA, or to her friends. She couldn't put them through another ordeal like that. They've gone through enough as it is. But how was she going to cope with Alex? How was she supposed to deal with her best friend?

"I'm not gonna bug you about what's wrong." Daniels came walking up the stairs of the stands, holding his hands up. "I come in peace."

She tried to smile at him but failed horrible. Daniels slid onto the bench beside her, patting her arm comfortingly.

"Allison is excited to know your back." He stated. "She told me to tell you that if you don't come to the ROH shows then she's going to kill you. You know her as well as I do, she totally would hunt you down."

"You can tell her that I'll be there. Don't worry." she answered.

"She'll be happy to hear that."

"Chris, can I ask you something?" she shot him a look.

"Sure shoot." He nodded.

"Do you like Allison?"

Daniels sent her a shocked look as she asked the question. He scratched the back of his neck before sending her a sheepish look.

"Truthfully?"

Cassie nodded.

"Yes I do."

"How come you won't tell her?" she wanted to know.

Daniels shrugged. He didn't really know why had hadn't. "Scared I guess. We have such a great friendship that I don't want to ruin anything."

"She likes you too you know."

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

Cassie let out a small smile. "Because of the looks she gives you when she thinks no ones looking. She so badly wants to be with you, but she doesn't know how to say it."

"Wow." He was shocked at what she was telling him. He never really thought of it in that sense.

"Do you know how hard it is to love someone so much and not have them feel the same way back? It kills Chris. I feel like someone's stabbing me in the heart repeatedly. I can barely take it. Don't make the same mistake that's happening with me and Alex. She likes you a lot. Please tell her. I don't want either of you to feel this way. It's not something I would wish upon my worst enemy." She couldn't help the tear that escaped.

Daniels didn't know what to do but to put an arm around her.

"Promise me that you'll do something Chris. Don't make her feel like this." She pleaded with him.

"I promise."

* * *

**A/N: **It's another one of those long nights lol. But i can't help it, theres just too many thoughts for this story going through my head and if i don't get them down then i'll forget them all. I feel so sad writing these chapter. I've personally have never gone through anything like Cassie has, but i've seen close friends go through similar experience and i know just how hurtful it can be. hopefuly some sort of happiness goes on in their lives.

Now, i'm off to go find my battery charger. it's run away and i can't find it :( it won't answer my calls. I need a man to go searching for it. Anyone know where i could find Alex Shelley? hehe :)


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter Seventy Three:**

Cassie stood by the heel entrance tunnel nervously waiting for Alex. They were due to face Traci and Matt in a match at any moment, but he hadn't shown up yet. She wished he would just hurry up and get this over with. It was the waiting that was the hardest part. She couldn't stand just being there, wondering what might happen.

"Sorry I'm late." Alex jogged up, his eyes avoiding hers. "Music play yet?"

"Not yet." She whispered back, looking off to the side.

As if the powers that be felt sorry for her, their music began playing, their cue to head out to the Impact Zone. Cassie plastered on a fake smile as she headed up the tunnel and out onto the stage, soon joined by Alex. Neither of them looked at one another as they headed to the ring. It was as if there was a silent agreement to just do this and not think about what had happened earlier. They both slid into the ring, posing quickly for the audience before the match went on its way.

It wasn't a long match at all. Cassie and Traci started off against one another, Cassie getting the upper hand as she grappled her into the corner. They continued to go back and forth with one another before they tagged their respectable man in. Matt and Alex played off one another, each getting their big moves in. Alex had just thrown him into our turnbuckle and was now distracting the ref as she choked him. That was when the match completely changed. As she was just letting Matt go, Cassie felt someone grab her ankles and pull her off of the apron, forcing her head to slam into the apron before falling to the mats. She groaned as she grabbed onto her forehead painfully. Cassie didn't remember this being part of the match plan at all. She peeked out of an eye and was shocked to see Jackie standing over her, a smirk on her face. Cassie grew immediately angry as she attempted to get up. Unfortunately her head was pounding so much that she felt dizzy. All that she achieved was falling back on her ass as Traci and Matt picked up the win. No one else seemed surprised to see Jackie interfering in our match. Cassie felt pissed that no one felt the need to tell her about this. Including her own partner.

"Here" Alex slid from the ring and held out a hand for her to take.

Cassie brushed it away however as she slowly pulled herself to her feet using the ring as support.

"Are you okay?" he asked, seeming a little worried.

"Fine." She mustered out before shooting a glare at the retreating Jackie. She felt like she wanted to tear the woman to pieces. She ruined everything. She made her life a living hell. Cassie absolutely hated Jackie.

As soon as she and Alex were backstage she stormed off, brushing away his attempts to help. She couldn't deal with him right now.

"Cas, you alright sweetie?" Chris was standing in front of the women's locker room, a concerned expression on his face. "That was a nasty bump you took."

Cassie shrugged, rubbing her forehead. She winched however as she did so. She had taken hard bumps before, but this one felt more painful than usual.

"Maybe you should get the trainer to check it out. Incase you have a concussion or something." He inspected her forehead, lightly brushing her hair away from the red spot.

"I'm fine Chris." She sighed in annoyance. "I love you, but can you stop?"

"Sorry." He sent her a guilty look. "I just care."

"I know." She nodded as they entered the room. "I'm just angry is all."

"Jackie I'm guessing." Chris figured. He himself had no idea she was to interfere in the match, and was surprised when she had gone out there. "Did you know anything about that?"

"No." she plopped down onto the bench, her head resting on the wall behind her. "That's what pisses me off. Alex could have mentioned it before we went out there. Someone could have mentioned it. I can't blame Traci as I haven't seen her today, but Alex could have said something."

"That's just not right." Chris shook his head in annoyance. "How are you supposed to protect each other out there if you have no idea of what's going on?"

"Exactly! I could have prepared myself and maybe not get hurt." She tried touching her forehead again but only winced from the sudden pain. "God this really does hurt. Great, my heart hurts, and now my head hurts. Fitting pair eh?"

Chris walked over and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Do you want me to go kill her? Because I know guys aren't supposed to hurt women and all, but I am not morally against killing that bitch for hurting you."

"I appreciate that Chris, but I don't want a friend in jail." She tried smiling at him. "But you know what I do want?"

"Someone else to kill her that you don't care so much about?"

She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Leave it to Chris to make her laugh when she felt so down and upset.

"No. I was thinking more along the lines of wanting to go see Jimmy."

"Oh. Well my idea was far better." Chris shrugged before grinning. "I say we head home tomorrow. Have a few days just the four of us, and then we can all take a road trip to wherever ROH is."

"That actually sounds extremely nice." Cassie nodded. "I just want to be home. I feel safe there you know? And that's all I want right now."

"We'll make it happen sweetie. Mark my word."

* * *

They hadn't even been off the plane in Detroit for an hour before they were in Windsor at the Can Am wrestling school, intending on surprising Jimmy. In all of what had happened lately, Cassie had completely forgotten to tell Jimmy that she was home. She felt horrible. He had gone through everything with her, just as much as Chris and Petey had, and she completely forgot about him. Right now, with the Alex situation growing rather quickly, all she wanted was all of her friends around her. And that especially included the crazy Detroit man.

"Where is he?" Cassie tapped her foot impatiently as she sat on the ring apron.

"He'll be here." Petey smiled, amused by her antics. "More importantly, how come there's no students? We were always here when we were training."

"Yeah well the classes clearly sucked after us." Chris reasoned, hopping up on the apron beside Cassie and drumming his fingers on his leg. "I'm bored."

"Well we wouldn't be if Jimmy came when you told him to." Cassie frowned. She hated waiting. Patience wasn't her virtue.

"Well maybe if someone told me you were going to be here I would have come faster." Jimmy's voice came through the front door.

Cassie's eyes widened as she jetted off towards the man, just about jumping him. Jimmy laughed as he held onto her tightly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" he pulled back, a pout on his face. "I feel hurt"

"I'm sorry. I totally forgot with everything going on." She shot him a guilty look. "I'm really sorry."

"It's alright. Petey caught me up with what's been going on. How are you holding up sweetie?"

She frowned. "I don't wanna talk about it."

He nodded. "Understandable. So how about we go have fun, Windsor style?"

"I'd like that." She looked up at him, her hazel eyes full of sadness.

"Don't worry we'll make you happy again Cassie."

* * *

**A/N:** Happy Canada Day to any of my Canadian readers :) i'm excited for the day. heading out to meet friends for the night in about 3 hours so you won't have me updating as crazily today lol. But i'm pumped...i'm legally able to go to the beer tent this year...not that i like beer...but i like having options haha.

anyways, the chapter isn't really much, more of a filler to get onto other others. Next chapter will be the ROH shows...which let me tell you now...there will be drama. so be prepared!


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter Seventy Four:**

"I can't believe that ROH is in Detroit tonight. That was just pure luck right there." Petey chuckled as he walked through backstage with Cassie and Jimmy.

"And Chicago tomorrow." Jimmy grinned. "Awesomeness all around to be honest."

Cassie couldn't help but crack a smile at the two. While the past few days had been anything but easy, considering her broken heart, her three friends had worked over time just to make it just that much easier. Heck, they wouldn't give the woman any time to herself, which she appreciated. She knew that if she was alone in her room at home, she would surely think about Alex. She already thought about him at night as she was falling asleep, she didn't need it 24/7.

"Where's Chris anyways?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow, realizing the fourth member of their little group was missing.

"He's meeting us before the show starts. Said he had to do something beforehand." Petey shrugged, not entirely sure what Chris was up to. Though if he had to take a wild guess, it probably had something to do with Alex.

"Well sorry to cut this short, but I should go head over to the GN locker room and see what's going on tonight." Cassie shot the two small smiles. "I'll see you guys later?"

"Chris and I will be in the crowd somewhere." Petey nodded.

Cassie nodded before waving at the two and heading towards where they had passed Generation Next's locker room. She didn't even bother to knock to let anyone know she was walking in as she entered the room. She was rather surprised though when she only saw Roderick in the room getting ready.

"Where's everyone else?" she questioned as she dropped her bag down beside the man.

"Matt is off somewhere in the world." Roderick rolled his eyes. "And Austin will be at the Chicago show. And I really don't care where Alex is."

"So it's only us. Fun fun." She commented, taking a seat.

"Yeah but we're really the only ones that matter so…" he smirked.

"So very true" Cassie nodded with a small smile. "So then, what do we have tonight?"

"You're in a four way match with Daizee, Lacey, and Allison. And I'm facing KENTA" he pulled a face. "I'm going to die."

"Well yeah." She agreed, laughing as he nudged her playfully. "But just chop him to death."

"Chopping over breaking his back?"

"Yep. Chopping rocks to be honest."

Roderick chuckled. "I'll do that then."

"Good good."

"No offence, but you look surprisingly happy." He bit his lip as he mentioned it. He didn't want her to get upset at all by bringing the topic up, but Roderick was glad to see her at least smiling. The two had really grown close since meeting all those months ago. He really considered her a good friend and hated seeing her so hurt.

"The guys kept me busy the last few days." Cassie replied softly, running a hand through her hair. "They're really good at making me smile, even if I don't feel like it."

"Good group of people right there." Roderick nodded.

"Your right up there as well." She smiled at him. "You and Austin."

"Thanks." He wrapped an arm around her, giving her a small hug. "We'd do anything for ya. If you want us to kick him out of GN, we totally would. We already did it once."

Cassie shook her head. She wouldn't come in between Alex and his friends. While things weren't right between the two of them, she refused to have everyone hate him just because of her. She wouldn't be able to handle the guilt.

"Don't. It's fine. I can deal." She waved it off. "I'll just avoid him. This place is big enough for the both of us."

"Is it just me or does it seem every time we're in ROH you two have something going on?"

"We're cursed like that." She tried to lighten the mood before standing up. "I should get dressed."

Roderick nodded as Cassie rummaged through her bag before grabbing her attire and heading into the bathroom. He shot a quick down at the phone that was in his hands, rereading the text he had just gotten moments before she arrived.

_Hey Roddy, be there soon. Jackie's coming. Cary said she can manage me._

Roderick had a very bad feeling about tonight. He only hoped it wouldn't go as badly as he expected it to.

* * *

Alex plastered on a smile as he wrapped an arm around Jackie and lead her through backstage. It felt different when he had Jackie in his arms than it did with Cassie. And he noticed that every time. He noticed it when he and Jackie kissed, when they slept together. Nothing she did seemed to compare to Cassie. Not even that smile she was trying to give him at the moment. It just didn't measure up to how amazing Cassie was.

He hated that he compared the two. He wished he could just be happy with Jackie, and not think about Cassie. But for the last week all he's been thinking about is that kiss from Monday morning. He just couldn't stop thinking about it. It lasted merely seconds but it felt like a lifetime. He could still feel her sweet warm lips on his. He could barely kiss Jackie without thinking about that kiss. Why did he have to kiss her? He wasn't supposed to kiss her. But she was there, and he couldn't help himself. He could never help himself. He just wanted to be with her so badly. But he couldn't. He was with Jackie, and she was having his child. He had to forget about Cassie.

But how was supposed to forget about the only woman he's truly loved?

"Alex!" Jackie whined from beside him. "You're not listening to a word I say!"

"Oh," Alex shook his head, trying to get Cassie off his mind once again, though failing miserably. "What did you say?"

"I said I hope the baby is a boy so it can grow up to be exactly like you." She smiled, holding onto his waist tighter.

As she spoke about the baby he felt his heart beat faster. He never knew he wanted a kid so badly until this all happened. He figured he'd never have the chance. But there he was. He was having a child. Alex Shelley was going to be a father. He still couldn't believe it. He was overjoyed by the fact. It was the only thing in his life right now that could make him smile. The idea of being a father scared the hell out of him, but it excited him as well. He would get the chance to raise this little baby, to help it grow and to show it the way through life. For some reason, he wanted that more than anything. Maybe it was due to the lack of family he had while growing up, but he was thrilled to be able to give what he didn't have.

"I hope so too." Alex nodded a true smile on his face.

"So what exactly are we doing tonight anyways?" She looked around at the wrestlers they passed with a frown on her face.

"I'm in a triple threat match with Samoa Joe and Jimmy Rave." Alex answered as they neared Generation Next's locker room. "So you'll be coming down with me and hopefully helping me win."

"Can't have you lose now." She smiled.

Alex smiled back as he inhaled sharply before entering the room. He was hesitant as first, knowing Cassie would more than likely be here tonight. But as they entered the room, he only saw Roderick which gave him a sense of relief. Roderick however glared as they entered.

"I can't believe that you brought her here." He growled, not caring that Jackie was right there. "How can you even think about doing that?"

"She's my girlfriend Roderick." Alex shot him an identical glare. "And I like the idea of her managing me while she still can."

Roderick strode up to him until they were nose to nose. He was seething. Poor Cassie was in the bathroom, getting ready, not knowing a thing about Jackie being here. He was pissed that Alex had the nerve to bring her into ROH, knowing how much Cassie enjoyed being here.

"If you keep this up Shelley, I'm going to kill you for hurting her. She doesn't deserve this."

"Dude, back off." Alex pushed him away, his eyes narrowing. "I can do what I want."

"No, you can't Alex. She's our friend; she's your best friend."

"Yeah well, if she or any of you can't accept Jackie in my life," Alex brought the blonde closer. "Than maybe you're not worth being friends with."

Roderick shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you would think that Alex."

"I'm tired of all of you getting pissed because I chose to be with Jackie. I'm sorry if I led Cassie or anyone else on. But I don't love her. I don't want to be with her. I want to be with Jackie. I...I love her."

Both Jackie and Roderick gasped. However, Roderick for a much different reason. He never thought he would hear those words come out of his friend's mouth about this woman in front of him. He knew Alex couldn't have meant it, so why was he trying so hard to prove it to everyone else? Why couldn't he just grow up and admit he loved Cassie?

"I love you too!" Jackie squealed, hugging Alex.

Alex continued to glare at Roderick as he embraced her back. "So just give it a rest Roderick."

Roderick clenched his fists. He looked like he was going to hit Alex, but a voice stopped him.

"Roderick, don't." Cassie stepped out of the bathroom, trying to mask the pain she felt.

"But…"

"Lets go, I need help finding the women's locker room anyways." She walked over, not evening glancing at Alex, and began pulling Roderick towards the door. "Roddy, please."

He grunted in response but allowed for her to lead him out the room. As soon as they were safely outside of the room, Roderick kicked at the wall in frustration.

"The fucking asshole!" he growled.

"Roddy, calm down." She laid a hand on his shoulder.

He just brushed it of as he hit the wall again. Cassie had never seen Roderick angry before throughout the time she had known him. She wasn't really sure what to do. Especially since he was mad at his own friend just because of her. She hated that. She hated that they were all angry with him, just because she was hurt. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

"Please calm down." She pleaded with him.

Roderick grunted again but breathed deeply, trying to get his anger under control. But he just wanted to rip Alex's head off. How could he possibly do this? Cassie was his own best friend and he was breaking her heart. What sort of friend did that? What sort of person did that to someone they loved?

"Roddy?"

"I'm fine." He sighed. "Sorry. Just pissed off"

"It's all my fault." She frowned.

He glanced up at her in surprise. How could she even consider this to be her fault?

"This isn't even close to being your fault sweetie." he pulled her into a hug. "He's the jackass who's hurting you. He's the one who's being an idiot. This is not your fault."

"But you're angry with him. All of the guys hate him. You're all supposed to be friends. But I'm tearing you all apart." She could feel tears prick her eyes. "This isn't what I wanted when I came back. I just wanted everything to go back to normal. I didn't want any of this."

"I know sweetie, I know." He held onto her tightly as she dug her head into his chest, trying not to cry. "It'll be alright. I don't know how, but it'll end up alright. Maybe not right now, maybe not in the next little bit. But eventually it'll all be alright. I promise you that."

"I don't think I can last that long Roddy." She told him truthfully. "It just hurts so much."

"I know sweetie. I wish I could take it all away."

But Cassie knew he couldn't. No one could. She was cursed with this pain, and nothing would be able to make it better.

* * *

**A/N: **w00t! another chapter. unfortunately it may be the last for today. going in an hour and won't be back until late tonight, and then i need to get a move on work stuff. But who knows, we all know i like to procrastinate.

Poor Cassie :( Alex is a meanie...but even he's going through a hard time. Roddy = madly cute :) i just want to kidnap him and huggle him all the time.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter Seventy Five: What If…**

_Don't speak,  
I can't believe  
this is here happening,  
Our situation isn't right_

Cassie raked a hand through her hair as she stared across the room at Alex. The show had started an hour ago and the card had been shuffled due to plane delays. There was no longer a Fatal Four way between the women, nor was the triple threat match still on. It was now Cassie and Alex against Daizee Haze and Jimmy Rave. As if nothing else could go wrong tonight.

They hadn't spoken since they were told of the change. They just sat in the locker room, ignoring one another. Roderick was off chatting with KENTA about his match later, and Jackie was off doing god knows what. This left the two alone, feeling completely uncomfortable around one another.

Cassie had to bite her lip in order to stop herself from wanting to cry. She couldn't stand sitting across from him and not doing anything. They were supposed to be best friends, and they were acting as if they didn't know one another. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to come back with everything working out fine. She didn't sign up for any of this. She just wanted her best friend back, even if she couldn't have him in any other sort of capacity.

_Get real who you're playing with,  
I never thought he'd be like this  
You were supposed to be there by my side_

She wasn't so sure she could go through this much longer. The feeling in her heart at the moment was just too much. It hurt to just sit across from him. It hurt just to know that he would never be with her.

Why couldn't she just have one slice of happiness? Her relationships with Chris and Petey failed miserably, mostly being all her fault. They had sacrificed a lot for her. She knew how much they had cared about her. She hated that she had hurt the two of them because she was too stubborn to just admit her feelings. Why couldn't she just tell him? This never would have happened if she just opened up her eyes and realized that she loved him. They would be happy, not sulking across from one another. Cassie hated it, absolutely despised the situation they had put themselves in.

"So about tonight…" Alex finally raised his gaze to the blonde sitting across from him, shaking Cassie from her thoughts.

"Is Jackie coming out?" she prayed that he would say no. she didn't think she could take having to go through a match with her at ringside.

"Well yeah…that's the whole reason she's here, to manage me and all." Alex shrugged.

Her face fell. Couldn't he see just how much she was hurting, how having Jackie around was tearing her up?

_When you say that you want me,  
I just don't believe it  
Your always ready to give up  
and never turn around_

"Oh." Cassie fiddled with her hands as she bowed her head.

"You said you were fine with Jackie." Alex sighed out of annoyance.

Cassie shrugged. "I just didn't expect her to be everywhere."

"Well she's my girlfriend…"

"That doesn't mean she has to be here."

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Cassie, come on. I don't want this to ruin our relationship."

"Bit late for that." She muttered.

"What was that?"

"It's a bit late for that Alex." She shot him a glare. "This was the one place I was excited to go, and now she's here ruining it. I don't want to see her 24/7."

"You're supposed to understand Cas."

"How am I supposed to understand Alex!" she stood up, her arms thrown up in frustration. "You kissed me Damnit!"

_But what if I need you baby  
Would you even try to save me  
Or would you find some lame excuse to never be true  
What if I said I love you  
Would you be the one to run to  
Or would you watch me walk away  
without a fight_

"I…I didn't mean to. I'm sorry for that." He stood as well, running a hand through his hair

"God Damnit Alex!" she couldn't stop the few tears that were threatening to spill. "I hate you!"

"What, why?"

Was she ready to just let it all out? Could she just tell him everything right here and now? After months of not being able to admit her feelings, she wasn't so sure she could just tell him. But she was tired of just sitting back and watching her life fall apart. She was tired of just letting it all walk over her. She needed it all to stop. She just wanted to be happy.

"I…" she couldn't find the words to describe what she wanted to tell him.

"I don't get it Cas. You said it was fine. Why are you going back on that?" hurt crossed his face. "I just want my best friend to be there for me through all of this."

_So sick of worrying, that ya  
gonna quit over anything  
I could trip and you would let go like that_

"I can't go through this with you Alex."

Alex looked like his puppy was just run over as Cassie spoke those words. "Why not?"

"Because I can't emotionally take this. I don't want to leave, but I just can't take this anymore." A tear escaped down her face. She quickly wiped it away however as she continued. "I'm sorry Alex, but I can't do this."

"But you're my best friend."

"Then why have you been treating me like this?"

"Treating you like what?" he seemed confused.

"You kissed me Alex."

"And I said I was sorry!"

"You just don't get it!" she exclaimed, frustrated with the man.

"Well then damn well tell me!" he seemed just as frustrated.

_And everything that we ever were  
Seems to fade but not the hurt  
Cause you don't know the good things from the bad_

"Why do you always have to kiss me and ruin everything? You did it when I was with Chris, you did it when I was with Petey, and I was just on the verge of being happy and you kiss me again!" she tried to stop the tears from falling, but she found it was no use.

"I…er…" he didn't know what to say.

"I just want to be happy Alex, and you're not helping in the least."

"What do you want me to do Cas? Say I'm sorry? Because I've already said that. I don't know what you want me to do."

"I want you to love me Damnit!"

_When I say that I want you  
You know that I mean it  
And in my hour of weakness  
There's still time to try_

"W-What?" his eyes were wide in disbelief.

Cassie's face paled. She couldn't believe she just blurt it out like that.

"I just want you to love me." she mumbled.

Jackie…she's having my baby Cassie." He immediately pointed out.

"I know. I know. I know!" she put a hand to her face. "Stop saying it Damnit! I know she's having your baby. I know alright! That's why I won't do anything. But I just can't sit here any longer and just pretend everything is fine and dandy. It's not fine Alex. I'm hurting."

_But what if I need you baby  
Would you even try to save me  
Or would you find some lame excuse to never be true  
What if I said I love you  
Would you be the one to run to  
Or would you watch me walk away  
without a fight_

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. But I love her. We're going to have a family together." Alex felt his words choke up in his throat. He so badly just wanted to sweep her up and tell her he'd be with her. He just wanted to kiss her, to tell her he loved him. But Jackie was all he could think about. He couldn't be like his father. He wouldn't walk away from his family. Even if he had to hurt the woman he loved.

"You don't have to be together. You can still have a child and not be together." She threw out.

"Yeah, and look how well that went for the both of us." He shook his head. "Your mother didn't give a damn about you; your father was forced to raise you himself. My father left me when I was a kid. I never knew him. I don't want my child to have to grow up like that."

"We had parents that didn't care Alex, that's totally different. You care, she cares. It would work out." She felt out like she was pleading at this point.

"Cas…" he took a step forward. "I'm sorry but I don't feel that way anymore." He hated lying. He hated knowing she was standing there in front of him, practically throwing out all of her feelings, and he couldn't return them.

_Every time I speak you try and stop me  
Cause every little thing is wrong  
You say your noticing but you never see  
this is who I really am that you can't leave  
Makes me wanna know right now  
If it's me you'll leave without  
Or would you change your mind_

"Alex…I…I…"

"I can't do this Cas, I'm sorry." He shook his head before turning towards the door and heading towards it.

"Alex I love you."

_But what if I need you_

Hearing her say those three words made Alex stop. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could be anywhere but here. All he wanted was to be with her, to be happy with Cassie. But that's not the way it's going to happen. The two of them, they just couldn't be together. He may have thought it was possible months ago, but it wasn't going to happen. They both just needed to understand that.

"I love you." She repeated, taking a step towards his turned figure. "I think I've loved you all alone but was too stubborn to realize it. But I do now. It hurts so much seeing you with her, hearing that you don't want to be with me because of her. Do you know how much it hurt to have you kiss me Monday, and then to have you just walk away and be with her? Do you get how much that hurts Alex?"

"Yeah, I do." He turned around, an angry expression on his face. "I poured my heart out to you, god I don't even know how many times. I told you I loved you time and time again, and you never cared! You ran off or made me out to be the bad guy. Yeah I do know how much it hurts to see the person you love walk away. You've done it to me so many times Cassie, do you realize that? You've hurt me so much, that I can't do it anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"With Jackie it's easy. I don't want a complicated life anymore Cas. Everything just seems better if we're not together. I can't be hurt by you again."

"Alex I never meant…"

"I love you Cassie. I don't think I'll ever stop loving you. But we can't…We can't do this. We can't pretend that we could be together. I won't leave Jackie. I won't let her go through this alone. I got her pregnant, and I'm not going to abandon her. I'm going to be there for her, and this baby. I'm sorry Cas, I wish everything was different, and I wish we could be together. But we can't. It just wasn't meant to happen."

Her bottom lip trembled as her tears stained her cheeks. He sighed as he walked up to her and tried to brush the tears away. He didn't want to do this. He wanted anything but this. But it couldn't happen. They were destined to not be together.

"I'm so sorry Cassie." He whispered as he cupped her cheek. He softly kissed her forehead before taking a step back. "If you don't want to be a part of my life because it hurts too much, I understand. Just know I want you there. I love you, and I'm sorry this has to happen. I want nothing more than to be with you. But I can't. I'm sorry."

He turned and left the room, not looking back. Cassie fell to her knees, sobbing as she had to watch the man she loved walk away for the last time.

_But what if I need you baby  
Would you even try to save me  
Or would you find some lame excuse to never be true  
What if I said I love you  
Would you be the one to run to  
Or would you watch me walk away without a fight_

* * *

**A/N:** Song is What If by Ashley Tisdale...saddest song of life :( i had this done last night, but was too wiped to edit/post it. had an awesome day with friends at the waterfront for Canada day. met my friend's girlfriend from Japan, she was soooo sweet.....and they randomly gave me inspiration. don't know how that worked, but it did lol.

It's so sad :( i almost cried writing this. hope you all like


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter Seventy Six: Two Worlds Collide**

*four Years Ago*

"_I hate life!" Cassie complained as she flopped onto Alex's bed._

"_Why this time?" Alex twirled in his computer chair, tossing a baseball up into the air._

"_Because!" she whined, digging her head into his pillow._

_Alex just chuckled at his blonde friend. "That's so thrilling of an explanation."_

"_Shut up Lex." She shot him a glare before hiding her face once again in the pillow. "I will be so glad to get out of high school."_

"_What happened now?"_

"_I'm getting teased cuz I have no date to the prom."_

"_Well that's not that bad." Alex shrugged._

"_Not that bad?" she snapped up, her glare growing darker. "Alex, I'm 18 and have never had a boyfriend before! I've never been kissed, I've never had a guy look at me in any romantic sort of way, and now I'm going to be the only single girl at the prom! The prom Alex!"_

_Alex sighed as he moved off the chair and over to the bed beside her. "It's just the prom CeCe, it's not that bad. It's just a load of crap anyways. I don't get why you're even going."_

"_Because it's just something you do in High school." She insisted._

_He rolled his eyes. "I didn't go."_

"_Yeah well you're an idiot and 'too cool' for stuff like that." She pouted. "I just want to end the year right, but nothing seems to be going right at all."_

"_Well you still have grad to look forward to." He pointed out. "You're bound to get valedictorian."_

_She shook her head, her eyes growing sadder. "I didn't get it. Brittany Jansen did."_

_Alex gaped. "How? She doesn't have one intellectual cell in her brain."_

"_Popularity contests Alex. Things aren't voted on by brains." She threw herself back onto the bed. "God why can't anything go right!"_

_Alex bit his lip as he looked down at his best friend. He wasn't sure what to say to console her. He wasn't a teenaged girl, he didn't understand what may or may not be going through her head at the moment. But he did understand high school. He was thankful he had finally graduated last year, to the surprise of many. He hadn't been focused on school since he set his eyes on wrestling school. Cassie had always been the brains between the two. She hated to brag, but he knew she was brilliant. She had been a rare entrant to Brown University for the fall, a feat anyone would be proud of. But she had refused the offer. Alex didn't understand why, it was a chance of a lifetime. But she insisted she wanted to go through Wrestling School with Alex. It had been a dream of theirs since they were kids and Cassie didn't want to let him down. He had waited a year until she graduated to enter the school, and she wasn't going to let that go to waste. Alex felt guilty that she denied the opportunity of a lifetime just for him. But he also felt appreciative. It showed just how much she cared. That's why he knew he had to do this. He had to put that smile back on her face, no matter how painful it may be._

"_I'll take you to prom." Alex muttered just loud enough for her to hear._

"_Don't make jokes at a time like this Alex, it's not nice." She muffled into the pillow._

_Alex stifled a laugh. "I'm not joking Cas. I'll take ya. I can't let my best friend go alone and get teased by those buffoons."_

"_Your serious?" she moved her head to the side to stare up at him. "You would actually go to an event that is completely against everything you believe in?"_

_He smiled. "Of course, it's for you. I've told you a thousand times Cassie Collins; I'd do anything for you."_

_She sat up and wrapped her arms around his lean body. "I love you Lex."_

"_Right back at ya babe." He ruffled her hair. "So I take that as a yes."_

_She nodded, her eyes brightening. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"_

"_Your welcome." He chuckled. "Now can we go watch those wrestling tapes?"_

"_Of course!"_

_******************************_

"_Do I have to wear this?" Alex grumbled from the dressing room._

"_Yes. And don't even think of backing out, you already promised." Cassie grinned happily from a chair in the waiting room._

_It was a week before prom and Cassie had forced Alex to go shopping for their outfits. They were currently in a men's suit store trying to find the perfect suit for Alex. However it wasn't going as smoothly as Cassie would have liked due to his constant complaining._

"_This is the most retarded thing known to man kind." He groaned._

"_Oh shut up and just come out here already." She flipped through a magazine before gazing down at her watch. "And hurry up, the mall closes in two hours and I still need pretty much everything."_

_Alex grumbled a few curses before pushing past the dressing room curtain and stepping out into the waiting room. Cassie drew the magazine down and gaped as she stared her best friend up and down. The sales consultant did an amazing job picking the suit out. It fitted his personality perfectly. It had a punk flare, with a formal punch to it. The suit was fitted to his body perfectly. It was completely black with a splash of color in the bright blue tie. From the black shirt, to the vest, to the fitted pants, it was just perfect. _

"_You look amazing!" _

_Alex pulled a face as he turned towards the mirror. "It looks like crap."_

"_Oh my god Alex your blind." She rolled her eyes as she pulled herself to her feet and stood at his side. She slipped his arm around his and grinned. "It's absolutely perfect for you. You look great."_

_He frowned as he fiddled with the jacket sleeves._

"_Please." Cassie pulled on a pout._

"_You really want met wear this?" he cocked his head to the side and stared at her through the mirror._

"_Very much so."_

"_Fine." He sighed. "But you so owe me."_

_She squealed happily before running off to get the consultant. Alex couldn't help but laugh at her antics. If he had to go through all of this just to make her happy, then he was damn well willing to._

___******************************_

"_Hurry up, I'm dying out here." Alex growled._

_Cassie rolled her eyes as she tugged on the zipper of the dress she was trying on. After a few more tries she stomped the ground in frustration._

"_What's with the tantrum babe?" Alex raised an eyebrow._

"_I'm zipper challenged." She mumbled._

"_Want my help?" he stood._

"_please." She grabbed onto the back of the dress tightly, keeping it up on her body as she slid the curtain open. _

_Cassie shifted out of the dressing room, placing herself in front of the mirror as Alex walked over and gazed down at the back of her dress. He flicked her hands away before grabbing the zipper and tugging it up. The dress fitted immaculately. Alex glanced at her through the mirror and was amazed at seeing her in the dress. He had only seen her dressed up a handful of times, most of them when they were kids. She wasn't even all that girly compared to the other girls he had known. She was always just a jeans and a t-shirt kind of girl, and he liked that about her. But seeing her in this bright blue dress, it made his eyes widen in amazement. The top of the dress had a sweetheart shaped bodice that hugged her form nicely. At the waist, the dress floated out to a few inches just above her knees. She looked absolutely gorgeous in it. He couldn't even find the words to compliment how beautiful she looked._

"_What do you think?" she tugged at the dress nervously, obviously look for his approval._

"_It's…a…I…" he stumbled over his words._

"_It's horrible isn't it?" she frowned, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I look ugly. That's it, I'm not going."_

"_Oh shush." He clamped a hand over her mouth, a smile on his face. "You don't look ugly. I don't think it's possible for you to look ugly. Especially in that dress. You look amazing. Beautiful CeCe"_

"_Really?" she pushed his hand away._

_Alex nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head on her shoulder comfortingly. "You're going to make all those bitches eat their words when they see you."_

"_Thanks for going Alex. I really do appreciate it." She clutched at his hands, smiling up at him. _

"_For you babe, anything."_

___******************************_

"_Oh my god, do you see who she came with?" _

"_Isn't that the freak who graduated last year?"_

"_The one who almost didn't graduate. I thought he was against anything social."_

"_Fitting couple, freak and the nerd."_

_Cassie bit her lip as she heard the insulting whispers being thrown around them. She really hated high school. Everyone was just so cruel, taking advantage of anyone who couldn't stick up for themselves. She had never been brave enough to say anything back to them when they tripped her in the hall, or made fun of her for answering a question in class. She was just labeled as the nerd and was never given a second glance. She hated it. She hated not having a voice, not being able to fight back. That was one of the reasons she wanted to get into wrestling. She wanted to learn how to stick up for herself. She needed that. She couldn't rely on Alex always being there to fight her battles._

"_Don't listen to the losers Cas." Alex glared at those around them. "They're just jealous because you look so damn beautiful and none of them could even come close."_

"_whatever." She mumbled sadly._

"_Come on, lets go dance." He pulled the cup out of her hands and laid in on the table behind them. _

"_But you hate dancing." She pointed out as he slipped his hand in hers and began leading her through the crowds of people and into the middle of the dance floor._

_Alex shrugged as he twirled her around before placing a hand on her hip. "It'll be one of the few times you'll ever get me to dance to live it up while you can."_

_She giggled as he twirled her again. He then pulled her closer, placing both hands on her waist as a slower song began to play_

She was given the world  
So much that she couldn't see  
And she needed someone  
To show her who she could be

_Cassie slipped her arms around him, laying her head comfortingly on his shoulder. Alex tightened his hold on her as they danced. She tried to ignore the whispers that went on around her as they danced. They couldn't just leave them alone. They were staring, some pointing and laughing. She absolutely hated it. All she wanted to do was dance with her best friend, but they wouldn't even allow her to do that in peace._

And she tried to survive  
Wearing her heart on her sleeve  
But I needed you to believe

"_Forget them all CeCe. It's just you and me." he whispered softly in her ear, bringing her even closer._

You had your dreams, I had mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide

_She closed her eyes tightly, trying to fade everything else out. It worked to a degree as she breathed in deeply and just listened to the song. She pulled herself into his body as much as she could, feeling safe in his arms. She knew that whenever he was around, there wasn't anything she had to worry about. He wouldn't let anything happen to her._

She was scared of it all  
Watching from far away  
She was given the role  
Never knew just when to play

_A smile was on Alex's face as she drew herself closer. He would never willingly admit it to anyone, but he loved the feeling of her in his arms. He shouldn't have felt that way at all, this was his best friend after all. But she fitted perfectly up against him. It was as if they were made for one another. It didn't feel the same when he was around any other girl. Like he always told her, Cassie was his girl, and would always be the only girl in his life that he cared about._

And she tried to survive  
Living her life on her own  
Always afraid of the throne  
But you've given me strength to find home

"_Thanks again for coming Alex." She told him softly._

"_For the millionth time, your welcome babe." He kissed the top of her head in a friendly manner. _

"_You didn't have to come. So I appreciate it."_

"_I couldn't let you face the vultures alone." He chuckled. _

"_Now that I definitely appreciate." She let out a small laugh as she moved her head so she was looking up at him, hazel eyes meeting dark brown._

You had your dreams, I had mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide

"_I'll always be there for you Cassie. No matter what happens, I'll always be here. It's always gonna be just you and me, taking on the world. Nothing is every going to change that. I promise."_

_

* * *

_Cassie closed her eyes tightly as the tears fell down her cheeks. She brought her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them. She sat in her room at home alone as she remembered the night Alex promised to always be there. But he wasn't there. He had broken her heart, something he promised he would never do.

_She was scared  
Unprepared  
Left in the dark  
Falling apart  
I can survive  
With you by my side  
We're gonna be alright  
(We're gonna be alright)  
This is what happens when two worlds collide_

"Why? Why Alex, why?" She whispered to herself.

_You had your dreams, I had mine  
You had your fears, I was fine  
Showed me what I couldn't find  
When two different worlds collide_

* * *

**A/N:** Took me awhile to figure out what to do for this chapter, and then i randomly came up with this idea. Song is Two Worlds Collide by Demi Lovato. such a sweet song, youtube it for sure!

Really wanted to show just how good of friends Alex and Cassie were...and how close they were...and how cute they could be...god, i'm so mean for not having them together aren't I? lol, don't worry, next chapter will hopefully be a little less sad. I'll try at least haha. so everything above the line and in italics were from when they were 18/19, and the little bit below the line was present. hopefully that wasn't too confusing.


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter Seventy Seven:**

*four years ago*

"_I'm bored!" Cassie complained._

_Alex rolled his eyes as he plopped down beside her on the bed. "You're sick."_

"_But it's summer! I want to do something." She pouted, attempting to sit up._

_Alex however pushed her back down onto the bed, a determined look on his face. She glared at him, crossing her arms in annoyance. He couldn't help but crack a smile as he watched her. It was the middle of July and Cassie had come down with a rather nasty flu. Her father was off in Europe for business, so Alex had taken it upon himself to take care of his friend. After all, she was always the one taking care of him, so it was about time he could return the favor._

"_You're still burning up babe; you're stuck in bed for now." He rested a hand on her burning forehead, a frown crossing his face. It had been two days since she had become sick and she wasn't remotely getting any better. She just seemed to be getting worse._

"_But I hate staying in bed!" she whined. "You're so boring!"_

"_Ouch!" he shot her a pout, holding onto his chest. "That hurts. I'm taking time out of my life to play nurse and you insult me. How rude."_

_He was only joking of course. He never refused a moment to spend time with Cassie, and was willing to be there for her while she was sick. She seemed to have taken the comment seriously though as her face fell._

"_I'm sorry. I appreciate you being here. I know I'm annoying." _

"_I was only kidding Cas. You know I wouldn't be anywhere else than here." He wrapped an arm around her as she shifted to curl up into his side. "How about we watch something?"_

"_Like what?" she shot him a look._

"_Wrestling tapes?" he shrugged._

"_Ugh." She pulled a face. "I'm not in the mood. Chick flick?"_

"_Never going to happen." He quickly shot the idea down._

"_But I never ask you to watch a chick flick with me. You owe me." she smiled slightly._

_Alex groaned. If there was one thing he hated, it was chick flicks. He absolutely despised them with a passion. He wouldn't he even considering watching one with Cassie before today. But she was sick, and had been down for the past little bit due to her father not being around. As painful as it would be, he liked to see her happy. If he could put a smile onto her face, he would do just about anything for her._

"_Fine." He sighed._

"_Really!" her eyes widened, surprised by his response._

"_Yeah, but this is the only one I will ever watch with you."_

"_Thank you!" she sat up and hugged him tightly. "I don't have any though…"_

"_You're a girl, how can you not have a chick flick around?" he raised an eyebrow._

"_Because I'm a girl who watches wrestling with her guy best friend. Doesn't exactly scream girly movie life to you does it?" she chuckled._

"_So this means I have to go all the way out and get one?" Alex pulled a face._

"_Please!" she pulled on the puppy dog face she knew that always worked._

"_Ugh, fine. I hate you, you know." He grumbled as he slowly got up from the bed, grabbing his wallet from the desk._

"_Oh you love me." she grinned as he waltzed out of the room._

_******************************_

"_Babe, you totally owe me. Almost got into a fucking fist fight with that jackass Jason Holt. Should have told me he worked at blockbuster." Alex grumbled as he walked back into the room half an hour later_

_He paused though as he noticed Cassie wasn't in the bed. Scratching the back of is neck he tried to figure out if he heard her downstairs on his way up to the second floor. He however didn't have to think for long as he heard a noise in the bathroom. He headed over to the adjacent private bathroom her bedroom held and sighed as he saw her sitting by the toilet. Her knees were brought up to her chest, her head resting in her arms._

"_Oh sweetie, are you alright?" he immediately entered the room and crouched down beside her._

"_no." she mumbled, looking up slightly, her face pale. "I think I'm dying."_

_Alex didn't know what to say to make her feel better and instead just pulled her in for a hug. However, she pushed him away as she knelt back over the toilet. He felt horrible for her. She hardly every got sick, but when she did, it was always horrible. Usually he was the one on the other side, having her take care of him. He wasn't exactly experienced at taking care of someone; he hardly even took care of himself. But he vowed he would always be there for her, and if helping her through this was part of the agenda, then he was on board._

_As Cassie sat back down in her previous position, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him._

"_I'm sorry your feeling like crap sweetie." He rubbed her back soothingly._

"_I hate being sick." She moaned into his chest. "Everything hurts."_

"_How about we go back to the bed? It'll be more comfortable." Alex suggested._

_She shook her head. "That means moving."_

"_Come on sweetie." He persisted._

_She just moaned in response. After thinking for a moment, Alex smile as he slipped an arm under her legs and in one quick swift movement he pulled her up in his arms and carried her towards the room. She let out a small laugh as he laid her on the bed, plopping down beside her._

"_I get the VIP treatment." She cracked a smile as she curled back up beside him, her head lying on his chest._

"_Only the best for my Cassie." He chuckled._

_She shifted into his body for a few moments before finding a comfortable position. The movie forgotten, Cassie began to drift off to sleep. Alex couldn't help but smile at the woman sleeping beside him. She looked so beautiful when she slept. He almost regretted thinking that, knowing he shouldn't think such thoughts about his best friend. But how could he not? She was absolutely beautiful. He couldn't deny that. If she wasn't his best friend, she would be someone he most definitely would aspire to date. But that was out of the question. They were best friends. He didn't want to ruin that just because of what he was feeling. Even if it did hurt to know he couldn't be with her._

"_Love you Lex." She mumbled tiredly._

"_Love you too sweetie."_

_Now if he only knew in just what way he meant those words._

_

* * *

_Alex growled in frustration as he turned in bed for what felt the millionth time that night. He just couldn't get to sleep. Every time he tried, he would think about Cassie. He couldn't take this. All he wanted to do was get to sleep. He was exhausted. The last week had been far to excruciating than he would have thought. Ever since he had to walk away from Cassie, who had just admitted she loved him, he had felt incredibly guilty. He hated knowing he was hurting her. He was supposed to take care of her. He was supposed to be there for her, to hold her when she's upset, to put a smile on her face. But he couldn't do that. He had to walk away, to make a family with Jackie.

Groaning, Alex knew he wouldn't be able to get to sleep tonight. He slipped from the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping Jackie, and headed out of the room. He wandered downstairs and into the living room. He sighed as he plopped down onto the couch, a hand running over his face. Why couldn't he just move on? Why couldn't he just get her out of his head?

* * *

**A/N:** I enjoy showing just how miserable they are. It's very much cruel fun. lol. i swear one of these chapters will have something less depressing in it. maybe :p

so i'm embarking on a whole new little life course...that sounds cheesey but extremely true lol. So expect me to write alot. I have a feeling i'll be needing to write in order to get away from the craziness lol.


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter Seventy Eight:**

Cassie nervously walked towards Jim Cornette's office. He had asked to see her for a meeting the moment she arrived for the next set of tapings. She was completely oblivious as to what the meeting was about. What if they weren't happy with her? What if they wanted to take the title off of her?

Scenario after scenario played in her head as she reached the office. She had no idea what to expect, but she tried to calm herself. The past week had worn her out, but she couldn't let that show to Cornette. She didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. She wanted to be here, she enjoyed working for TNA. Now if she didn't have the whole being rejected by her own best friend who she loves thing, this would be a rather fantastic work place.

"Come in." Cornette's voice came through the door as she knocked.

She inhaled sharply before opening the door into the welcoming office. She was fully prepared for whatever Cornette had to speak to her about. She wasn't prepared however to see Alex and Jackie sitting across the table from Cornette. Cassie's face paled as she stood by the doorway, frozen to the spot.

"Have a seat Ms. Collins." Cornette motioned to the third seat directly beside Alex.

Her heart began to pound as she slowly moved towards the seat, trying to look everywhere but at Alex. She tried to stop herself from breaking down. But she knew it was only a matter of time before she did. Just seeing him sit there happily with Jackie, it made her stomach churn. She wasn't sure if she could take this for the rest of her life.

"I've been speaking with Mr. Shelley and Ms. Gayda and we've come up with some new ideas for the next coming months." Cornette began once Cassie was seated.

Cassie fidgeted with her hands as she tried to keep her attention solely on Cornette.

"We're aware that your pregnant Ms. Gayda, congratulations first and foremost." He sent Jackie a warm smile.

"Thank you."

"We don't want to put you in any situation where you may get hurt. So we're going to keep you as a manager for the next month until you start to show."

Jackie nodded. "That's perfectly alright."

"Now as for you two," Cornette glanced between Alex and Cassie. "Creative and Management can see just how much the fans take to you two and how well you work together."

Cassie bit her lip, unsure where he was going with this.

"However, we feel that the X Division is lacking in storylines at the current moment, and we've decided to split you two up."

"What?" Cassie's eyes widened.

"We're going to of course put you with another wrestler, don't worry Ms. Collins. The eventually plan will have you Mr. Shelley side with Ms. Gayda while feuding with Ms. Collins and Chris Sabin."

Cassie felt mixed emotions. She was ecstatic she would be able to work with Chris, one of the more important people in her life at the moment. However, she couldn't help feeling a tug at her heart knowing Alex and Jackie would be working together as well. Why couldn't she be in her position?

"Now of course the two women won't be able to wrestle, for obvious reasons, but we figured you two," he nodded between Cassie and Alex. "Have great chemistry in the ring and we could easily put you two together in multiple matches. We'll have this all go down during the Victory Road PPV, but we'll start to have the tension build between you two during the two tapings tonight."

Cassie gulped but nodded as Cornette handed them a script of what would be going down tonight before waving them out of his office. Cassie quickly hurried out of the room before she could have a chance to be alone with Alex. She raced down the hallway until she found the locker room she was looking for. She didn't even knock as she entered Team Canada's room and spotted Chris chatting cheerfully with Eric.

"Did you know about the storyline?' she asked him immediately, ignoring everyone else in the room.

Chris glanced up and nodded slowly. "Cornette called me this morning with the plan."

"Wished you would have told me." she sighed, plopping down beside him and putting her head in her hands. "It was horrible sitting in the room with Alex and Jackie. I just wanted to cry."

"I'm sorry sweetie." Chris rubbed her back soothingly. "But at least this means you won't have to work closely with Alex."

"But we feud with them. That's just as bad. I have to witness those two being all lovey dovey during work. I wasn't expecting that torment too." Her bottom lip began to quiver, but she refused to cry in front of everyone.

"I know sweetie." Chris sighed as he looked around the room. Everyone looked as if they were doing something, anything but listening in. But he knew they were all faking. Especially Petey who was shooting glances over at them. He caught his glance and nodded between Cassie and the door, hoping he would catch the point. Petey must have as he stood and headed over to them. "How about we go to Catering?"

She shrugged but allowed for Chris to lead her out of the room, Petey on her other side. Petey immediately grabbed her hand and squeezed softly as Chris kept his arm around her shoulders. She felt appreciative of the two men. They had really been there for her lately. She could hardly express how much the two meant to her. She knew she hadn't been the easiest friend to be around, heck she had locked herself in her room for a week. But the two stood by her through it all, showing just how much they cared for her.

"I hate this." She grumbled as they reached catering and found a table in the back away from everyone else. "I hate it all."

"We know babe." Petey rubbed small circles on her hand, trying to comfort her. "I wish I could just make it all better."

"Same here." Chris frowned. He hated seeing her like this. She looked as if her whole world was falling apart. And he supposed in some sense, it really was. "We're here for you, you know that right? If you need us for anything, we're here."

"I know." She nodded. "Thanks for everything. I know I've been a bit hard to be around lately."

Petey shook his head quickly. "You got your heart broken by your best friend. We couldn't blame you for being this way at all. No matter what we're here for you. We don't care about anything else but you right now."

"Thank you."

Chris pulled her into a hug. "You'll get through this Cassie. It might take awhile, but you'll get through this."

* * *

"_Surprised to see me last week Collins? That was just the beginning. You took MY title. You took everything. I may not be able to take that title back, but I can make your life a living hell. And believe me; I will do anything to make sure it happens."_

Cassie felt chills run down her spine as she watched Jackie's promo. The look in her eye just looked so vicious. She almost believed her for a moment before realizing it was just part of the storyline.

"Hey."Chris greeted, walking up beside her in the hallway where they were planning on doing their own segment. "Never knew how vicious she could be."

Cassie nodded. "Same. So, what exactly is happening anyways?"

"Your gonna be shouting on the phone or whatever, I guess pretending its Alex or whatever." Chris shrugged. "All while I'm getting interviewed by JB, and blah blah blah."

"Sounds good." She glanced down at her watch. "When are we doing this?"

"Shortly." He answered. "Are you alright Cas? You seem tense."

"well lets see, I'm feuding with the mother of my best friends kid, whose going to end up managing my best friend, and oh yeah, I love the guy and he completely rejected me! No, I'm not alright!"

Chris was taken back by the sudden outburst. She had been so quiet over the past week that seeing her blow up like that shocked him. She almost seemed angry about everything. He supposed anger was at least better than being depressed anyways.

"Sorry." He scratched the back of his head.

"No I'm sorry." She sighed with a frown. "I didn't mean to blow up. I'm just frustrated and tired of everything."

"I get it sweetie." He shot her a comforting smile.

Cassie nodded as Borash and the filming crew began to set up around them. She was shooed off a bit farther down the hallway, where she would be walking in from. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and got ready for her cue. She watched as Borash and Chris started talking about his match tonight against Petey, Jay, and Sonjay. Catching a glimpse of a stage crew, she saw her cue and began her part of the segment.

"Did you hear that bitch? I don't care! Do something about it!" she began walking down the hallway and into camera shot. "I don't give a crap what you do! Who knows what the crazy bitch will do, fix it!"

She shut her phone angrily before looking up to see Borash and Chris staring at her.

"What?" she snapped before brushing past Chris.

Chris followed her with his eyes, lingering on her departing figure.

"What was all that about?" Borash asked.

"No clue JB, no clue."

With a swift nod from the camera crew, the segment ended and Chris waved at everyone before jogging to catch up with Cassie. He wrapped an arm around her as they headed towards the women's locker room.

"Awesome fake yelling Cas." He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes a she nudged him in the side playfully.

"Don't look at my ass next time mister." She wagged her finger at him.

"I didn't I swear!" he held his hands up in defense, though a smirk lying on his face.

"Uh huh, right."

* * *

**A/N: **It wasn't as depressing! w00t! though sadness that Alex and Jackie will be paired up for a bit for the feud. but that'll give Chris a reason to kick his ass, w00t! lol. nice cute little moment between Chris and Cassie there at the end. Chris is just so cute, i want to huggle him all the time.

Speaking of sexy...i have a new obsession...i mean, how can i not...has anyone else seen Ted DiBiase Jr, that man is just full of sexyness! I drooled while watching Raw this week. I never really saw how hot the man was and damn! so sexy. so incredibly sexy that i've decided to write a story with him in it. don't worry, im not gonna post it until i get either this story or BWAT done, so it won't conflict much. Speaking of which, i'm not going to say how many chapters are left in either story, as who knows how many it'll take to get to the end, but i do know exactly whats going to happen, and i do see the end in sight. Of course that could mean in like 10 - 20 chapters and all :p so don't worry.


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter Seventy Nine:**

"Making her way to the ring hailing from Windsor Ontario, she's the TNA Knockouts Champion, Cassie Collins!"

Cassie grinned as she slid into the six sided ring and held her title up proudly. It was a rare occurrence that she had come to the ring alone, and she was rather happy about it. The less time she had to spend around Alex, the better. She glanced across the ring at her opponent, Christy Hemme, and smirked. She wasn't as good as Gail, Traci or herself. She was just a filler opponent until the PPV came. She handed her title down to Val before attacking Hemme from behind.

The match hadn't even gone five minutes before Cassie rolled her up and used the ropes to win. The fans booed as she celebrated with her title. She plastered on a smirk for the cameras, but was nervous deep down inside. She knew Jackie would get involved some how, she just wasn't sure how. But when a steel chair met the back of her skull, it was very clear just how Jackie was going about this storyline. Cassie groaned as she grabbed the back of her head in pain and rolled over, glaring up at the blonde. Jackie grabbed the Knockouts title, taunting her with it. She looked like she was going to hit her again, but referees entered the ring and coaxed Jackie back. Cassie moaned as she slipped from the ring, taking her title back along the way. Andrew Thomas, the referee of the match helped her to the back, but was pushed away as Austin and Roderick immediately came to her aid.

"Are you alright?' Austin inspected her head.

"I'm fine." She grumbled before winching in pain. "Could you not do that Austin?"

"Sorry." He dropped his hands. "That was a nasty chair shot."

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Roderick frowned, growing protective.

"Part of the storyline." She just shrugged.

"You should go to the trainers." Austin suggested.

"Was planning on it actually. I feel like a piano fell on my bed." She paused for a moment. "Or Austin at least."

"Hey!" he pouted.

"You have a fat ass." Roderick snickered.

"Not nice. I'm going." Austin stuck his tongue out before turning and walking down the hallway.

Cassie couldn't help but let out a small laugh as Roderick helped her to the trainers. Once there, they went to work making sure there wasn't any damage. Luckily the chair didn't break any skin and had only given her a minor concussion.

"Just keep it easy for the rest of the evening." They told her.

Cassie nodded as she took the painkillers and went on her way. She and Roderick were chatting about something or other when they were stopped. Cassie looked up in confusion at Roderick, who had pulled them to the immediate stop.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He replied quickly, starting to tug her in the opposite direction. "Let's go this way."

She raised an eyebrow as she glanced over her shoulder to whatever spooked Roderick. Her face fell as she saw Alex and Jackie up against a wall, making out.

"Let's just go sweetie." Roderick caught her glance and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Come on."

It felt like her world was falling apart as she tried to wipe the image of the two out of her mind. However she couldn't. How could she? That was the man she loved, her best friend, with another woman.

"I'm sorry sweetie."

She couldn't hear him however. She was too focused on Alex. Why couldn't everything just work out? All she wanted was to be happy and be with him. She spent years not realizing her feelings for him. She spent the past few months putting everyone through this, just for her to lose the one person she really cared about. She hated that she never told Alex how she felt sooner. If she had, he wouldn't have been with Jackie, and she wouldn't be pregnant. But that wasn't the case. She had been a coward and lost everything. And now she was forced to live with it.

"Come on, let's go do something." He tugged her towards catering.

However, a voice stopped them.

"Cassie!"

She groaned as Alex came jogging up behind them. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Didn't he get she was hurting?

"We have a segment coming up after the next match, could we talk about it?" he ignored the dark glare Roderick was throwing at him.

"I'm sure its simple enough you don't need to talk about it." Roderick pulled Cassie closer.

Alex shot him a glare. "Stay out of it Roderick."

"I'll stay out of it when you stop acting like a jackass."

"I'm not acting like a jackass, I'm asking her to work on the segment." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Making out with Jackie where Cassie could easily see, yeah, that's not acting like a jackass." Roderick clenched his fists as he took a step forward. "Watch what you do around here Shelley, because there's a lot of people who would love to kick your ass for the way you've treated Cassie."

Alex took a hesitant step back. He knew better than to try and get into it with Roderick. When he got angry, he would kick the ass of anyone who was in his way.

"Roddy, stop." Cassie pulled him back, a worried look on her face. She shot a small glance over at Alex before looking down. "But he is right, there's nothing to talk about for the segment."

Alex sighed. "Please."

"My head is pounding Alex." She shot him a look. "I just want some peace and quiet for a few minutes."

"Fine." He grumbled. "I'll meet you in 10 minutes then."

"whatever." She turned and began to pull Roderick after her.

Alex frowned as he watched them turn a corner. He wished he could just grab her up and hold her. He just wanted to see happiness in those beautiful hazel eyes, not the hurt that was displayed.

* * *

"On air in 5…4…3…2…"

Cassie glared up at Alex, who was lazily playing with his camera.

"Where the hell were you!"

"Hm?" he shot her a look.

"Hello! That bitch attacked me out there!" she threw up her arms. "You were supposed to be there! Where the hell were you!"

"I was getting some new material." He lifted up his camera.

She grabbed the camera angrily out of his hands. "I'm more important than a camera!"

"Whoa babe, careful with that." He went to grab it back.

She however stepped back, her glare darkening. "Get your act together. You're supposed to make sure bitches like her don't come between me and this title. Do your job next time."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It's not all about you."

She grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him towards her. "Look here Alex, the only reason your getting a title shot at the PPV is because of me. so smarten up and do your god damn job."

She pushed him away, threw the camera at him before twisting around and storming off camera.

"That's a wrap." The stage hand smiled at Alex.

Alex nodded before going after Cassie. He had to talk to her. He didn't want them to go down this road. He wanted his best friend to be at his side when he had this child. But the route they were going it seemed very likely she wasn't going to be in his life at all. Not that Alex could blame her. He did break her heart. He knew that. But they had to get through this. They had known one another for years; they couldn't let this ruin it. Not now.

"Cassie wait up!" he jogged up next to her, grabbing her arm to stop.

She flinched as he touched her, surprising him. She shot him a hurt look, wrapping her arms around herself.

"What?" she asked.

She sounded so upset that it killed him. "I wanna talk."

She snorted. "Not going to happen."

Cassie went to turn again but Alex stopped her. "Please? I want to work this out Cas. I don't want you to hate me. Please. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"You're sorry?" she asked in disbelief. "You broke my heart Alex. My best friend broke my heart. A simple 'I'm sorry' isn't going to fix this. I'm hurting Alex. I'm in pain."

"I know Cassie, and I want to try and fix it. Please. I want us to be friends. And I am truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did Alex. You did hurt me. How do you expect me to just forget everything and be all buddy buddy with you?"

"I don't know?" he shifted his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "But I do want to fix this."

"I can't just let it all go Alex. Every time I look at you, I want to cry. Every time I think or hear your name, I break down. When I see you and Jackie together, I feel like I'm going to die because the pain is just unbearable." She covered her face for a moment, trying to hold the tears back. She slowly withdrew her hands and looked up at him. "I can't pretend none of this happened. I can't force back how I feel about you. Not yet anyways. Not for a very long time."

"Well what do you want me to do then?" he sighed heavily.

"What I want is you to be with me." she paused for a moment to inhale sharply. "But I know that will never happen. I just need you to leave me be."

"But you're my best friend Cas."

"You're hurting me Alex, every time I see you I'm in pain. I can't be in the same room with you and not feel the need to just cry. I can't deal with that. We have to work with one another, so whatever. We'll get through that. But that's it. I can't do these conversations anymore."

"But…"

"No," she shook her head, taking a step back. "If you really want to help me Alex, please do this."

He raised a hand to try and cup her cheek but she hit it away. She took another step back before turning and walking down the hallway. He sighed as he closed his eyes tightly, a hand running down his face. He hated knowing he couldn't do anything to make this better but to leave her be. But if that's what would help, he knew he would have to do it. If there was any sort of chance he could fix this and still be friends with her, he'd do just about anything.

* * *

**A/N: **wow, next chapter will be 80 chapters. its crazy how this story got so long lol. Who would have thought.

I'll probably get another chapter or two in tonight. ROH is on tonight so i'll more than likely get lots of inspiration from the awesomeness that is ROH 2005 :)


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter Eighty: Believe In Me**

Cassie woke up the morning of the Victory Road PPV feeling better than she had all month. Even though she knew of the events that would take place later that night, she felt surprisingly okay. As she got ready for the day she tried to figure out this new feeling, trying to figure out why she didn't feel the need to cry any longer.

_I'm losing myself trying to compete  
With everyone else instead of just being me  
Don't know where to turn  
I've been stuck in this routine  
I need to change my ways  
Instead of always being weak_

She had fallen into a routine over the past month. She felt helpless as she stayed locked in her room, refusing to go out and face the world. She had spent the last two weeks falling back into that same routine. But today was different. She felt the urge to get out, to do something.

Cassie wondered briefly if this was the feeling of moving on. She felt like she could smile, where as the last few weeks had been nothing but miserable for her. But this morning, she couldn't help the smile as she glanced out the hotel window and up into the bright blue cloudless sky. Something had clicked in the woman over night. She felt like an entirely different person.

_I don't wanna be afraid  
I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today  
And know that I'm okay  
Cause everyone's perfect in their usual way  
So you see, I just wanna believe in me _

As a knock sounded on her hotel door, she headed over and smiled as she saw Chris and Petey standing there.

"Good morning!" she greeted cheerfully.

Both men exchanged confused looks before staring at the blonde woman standing in front of them. The last time they had seen her last night she was crying herself to sleep after watching a repeat of Impact. But here she stood, looking happier than they had seen in a very long time.

"Who are you and where's Cassie?" Petey immediately blurted out.

Cassie chuckled as she shrugged, letting them into her room.

"Seriously though Cas, what's up with the whole happy thing?" Chris questioned, sitting on the bed.

"Don't ask, no idea." She admitted truthfully. "I just don't feel…"

"Depressed?" Petey offered.

_The mirror can lie  
Doesn't show you what's inside  
And it, it can tell you you're full of life  
It's amazing what you can hide  
Just by putting on a smile_

"Yeah." Cassie nodded. "I have no idea why, I just feel more alive than I ever have. I think I just cried so much, that I really have nothing left in me, and I'm starting fresh. As stupid as that sounds."

"That's not stupid." Petey wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "That's wonderful. I hated seeing you so down and depressed. It's nice to see that smile on your face. It's been far too long sweetie."

"I just don't get what I'm feeling. Is this what it feels like when you move on? I just feel…well alive I guess. It seems that everything has a different light to it."

"Maybe not having Alex breathing down your neck for the past few weeks has helped." Chris nodded, a grin on his face. He was ecstatic to see Cassie like this. It had been far too long that she had been hurt and in pain.

"I know it still hurts, to think about all of it, but I just don't feel the need to cry anymore."

"We're glad sweetie." Petey smiled. "How about we go out and celebrate, do something fun before the show tonight?"

"Yeah that sounds like fun actually." Cassie nodded. "I need to finish getting ready, but I'll meet you guys in the lobby in half an hour?"

"Yeah sure." Chris stood up, kissing her on the forehead quickly. "We'll see who else is around and grab them."

She waved as the two headed out of the hotel room. She turned and headed back into the bathroom to fix her hair. As she looked into the mirror, she couldn't help but smile. Whatever it was that she was feeling, she was just happy she wasn't feeling depressed anymore. While she knew that night would be hard, at that present moment in time, she knew she could take it on. She felt oddly confident, something she hadn't felt in a very long time. She was glad this had come on. She knew just how difficult this had been on everyone else, mostly importantly Chris and Petey. They had gone through so much with her, dealing with everything, that she was happy that it could just be put behind them now.

_I don't wanna be afraid  
I wanna wake up feeling beautiful today  
And know that I'm okay  
Cause everyone's perfect in their usual way  
So you see, I just wanna believe in me_

Cassie curled her hair into loose ringlets, feeling like a different look for the day. Once her hair was done, she headed back into the main room and slipped out of her pajamas. Throwing on a green and white flowing skirt that reached just above the knee and a green cami, she smiled to herself. She searched within her suitcase for her sandals and slipped them on before grabbing her summer bag. She threw in her phone and essentials before pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head and leaving the room. It was only moments before she was entering the lobby.

"Looking hot!" Austin exclaimed as she made her way over to the group.

She chuckled as she glanced to see who all was there. Chris and Petey were off to the side chatting with Daniels and AJ. Austin, who was currently checking her own, was between Roderick and Matt. As she spied behind the trio she was happy to see Val and Traci laughing.

"Stop hitting on her." Matt slapped him over the head. "Though you do look nice Cas, and happy. I thought Chris was on crack when he told us, but apparently not."

"Well he's still on crack, just not the good stuff." She chuckled.

He laughed as she maneuvered around them and joined Val and Traci.

"Hey." Cassie greeted the two.

"Hey girl!" Val grinned. Cassie and Val and never really had the chance to bond while Cassie was in TNA. Though she knew Val was a great girl, and someone she could definitely see herself becoming friends with. "Know we don't hang out much, hope you don't mind me coming with you all."

"Not at all." Cassie shook her head. "I need more girlfriends in my life."

"Yeah too much testosterone." Traci pulled a face.

Cassie laughed. "Far too true. So where are we headed anyways?"

"Driving out to the beach." Chris responded, coming up behind the blonde.

"Sounds like fun."

_I'm quickly finding out  
I'm not about to break down, not today  
I guess I always knew  
That I had all the strength to make it through_

As they all headed out of the hotel and towards their cars, Cassie stopped both Chris and Petey and hugged both of them tightly.

"Thank you for everything you've both done. I couldn't have done this without you." She told the two, pecking each of them on the cheek. "You have no idea how much I appreciate and love you two. I couldn't ask for two better friends."

"You're more than welcome Cassie." Chris grinned, ruffling her hair. "You're worth everything."

"You mean the world to us. We don't care what we have to go through, as long as we get that smile on your face at the end of the day. And now that it's finally there, we're more than happy for you sweetie." Petey squeezed her hand. "You're our best friend; nothing in the world could take that away."

"God I love you two." She hugged them again, feeling a sweep of emotions run through her. However, this time, it was for a much happier reason.

_And I cannot be afraid  
I'm gonna wake up feeling beautiful today  
And know that I'm okay  
Cause everyone's perfect in their usual way  
So you see, now, now I believe in me  
Now I believe in me_

* * *

Alex sighed as he walked into the gym that afternoon. He hadn't slept at all the previous night, and was absolutely exhausted. Every time he tried to sleep during the past 2 weeks he would think of Cassie. He couldn't get her off his mind. It had been horrible to try and not be around her. For as long as he could remember, she had always been there. She had been such a strong force in his life that he couldn't imagine her not being in the picture anymore. But he knew that if he tried to push her, that would just break this friendship further apart. He had to give her space, even if it drove him insane to do so.

He had been forced to spend more time with Jackie than he probably would have wanted to. Every since he had asked her to move in with him, he had picked up the little quirks he absolutely despised about the blonde. She didn't have a cooking or cleaning bone in her body. Not to mention she was the messiest person he had ever seen, which was saying something as he was no clean freak. If he wasn't off training, he was cleaning up another mess of hers. He was getting enough of it. Then there was the talking in her sleep. It was hard enough to fall asleep with Cassie on his mind, but every time he could drift off, her sleep talking would just wake him back up. It was almost as bad as her constant talking during the day. That girl didn't know how to shut up. He didn't think it was possible for her to shut her mouth for over five minutes. It gave him a constant headache. He was more than happy to be able to get to the gym everyday just to get away from her chatting and nagging.

Alex ran a hand over his face before getting on the treadmill. He just needed to run and clear his mind. He closed his eyes tightly as he began with a jog, slowly speeding up as time went along. He was going at a good rhythm, happily in his own little world, when a conversation not to far away caught his attention.

"Hey Jackie, yeah I'm at the gym, getting in shape and all." A male's voice floated over towards Alex.

Alex ignored it as he continued to run, trying to push everything else out of his head.

"Yeah I'll be at the PPV, in the crowd somewhere. Wanna meet after?"

That caught Alex's attention. Jackie? PPV? There wasn't anything else going on in town that night except for the TNA PPV. And Jackie wasn't exactly a popular name backstage, so there was only one person they could have been talking to. Alex peeked an eye open and glanced over to where the voice was coming from. He spotted a light brown haired man leaning against a treadmill only a few feet away, chatting on his cell. He looked oddly familiar, but Alex just couldn't place a name to the face. Why was he talking to his girlfriend, the mother of his child? Jackie didn't have any siblings, and she never talked about any male friends. So who was he?

"Forget about Shelley, make up some pregnant excuse or something and come out with me."

Alex nearly fell off the treadmill as he heard that statement.

"Come on babe, how long are you going to keep this whole thing up? They're eventually going to figure out something's wrong when you don't start to show." The man ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah I get you want to get Collins back, but come on Jacks, it's been what, a few months now? I told you I'd wait for you while you did this so hurry up and finish so we can be together."

Alex had to stop the treadmill or else he would have surely fallen off. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was wishing there was someway he was mistaking everything he was hearing. But he couldn't. The guy even mentioned him. Was Jackie really faking? But how could she do that? She was pregnant, he just knew it. She couldn't have been faking, this child was real.

"Alright Jackie, I'll see you after the show. Love you babe."

Anger surged through Alex as he stormed over to the man and pushed him up against the closest wall.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Alex growled.

The man took a minute to register who it was before a smirk fell over his face.

"Alex Shelley, nice to meet you."

"Fucking jackass, who the fuck are you?"

"Charlie Haas." The man's smirk grew wider.

The anger rose, Alex's face growing red as he punched Haas as hard as he could. He heard a satisfying crack in his nose and almost smirked himself.

"What the fuck were you talking to Jackie about?"

"Oh that?" Haas snickered, blood trailing down from his nose. "Just making sure _my_ girlfriend was doing well _not_ being pregnant and all."

Hearing those words of confirmation broke Alex's heart. He couldn't believe this. How could she do this to him? How could anyone fake a pregnancy? He gave up everything for Jackie. He broke his best friend's heart just for her. Why would she do this? Why would she put him through something like this? What did Alex ever do to her?

He couldn't look Haas in the face any longer and took a step back. He shook his head as he ran a hand over his face and headed quickly towards the empty bathroom at the back of the gym. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a dream. None of this was real.

His breathing became rigid as he locked himself in a stall and slid down the side. No, none of this could be happening. He was going to have a kid; he was going to be a father. It couldn't be a lie. It just couldn't.

But he knew deep down that it was true. He knew deep down that he had been fooled all this time.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow! 80 chapters! and what a crazy one! Cassie is moving on? Jackie has been faking? holyness, who else is going to have a heart attack over all the drama? lol

what better than to mark 80 chapters than a crazy drama filled one. I know I said i'd get a few chapters done, but i was trying to figure out the best possible chapter to give you that it took most of the day lol.

Oh, i would just like to mention, that watching ROH 2005, i've come to realize one thing...Austin Aries looks exactly the same now with the title as he did then with the title....seriously.....same shorter hair...practically the same sunglasses....pretty much the same outfits....and the meanish/heelish attitude......the only thing different is the Stache....its seriously creepy...its like we just went back to the past! alright, enough of my antics, off to rest! oh, btw, the song is Believe In Me by Demi Lovato!


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter Eighty One:**

"Is everything still going on tonight Mr. Cornette?" Cassie asked as she and Chris sat in Cornette's office later that night.

The man across from them sighed as he ran a hand down his exhausted face. He looked twice his age at that moment, tired and worried after the conversation earlier in the day.

"There's been a problem with the storyline." Cornette sighed.

"What sort of problem?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "Do you want Cassie to be with someone else?"

"No no." Cornette shook his head. "You two have been absolutely perfect so far. Unfortunately, I got some unexpected news earlier today."

Cassie shot Chris a look, confused as to what was going on.

"Mr. Shelley came to me this afternoon and informed me that he was quitting." Cornette sighed again. "He left the site promptly afterwards."

"What?" Chris and Cassie exclaimed in unison.

"Why?" Chris asked.

"I'm unsure. Mr. Shelley just stated that he couldn't work here anymore, and left. Unfortunately this means that the storyline won't be going exactly as planned anymore."

Cassie sat there as Cornette went on to explain the new plan for the night. She couldn't hear a word he was saying however. She was trying to wrap her mind around what he had told them. Alex had quit? Why? He loved TNA, he absolutely loved working here. Why would he just quit so abruptly? There had to be something wrong. While she and her best friend were anything but close at the moment, she still knew him better than anyone. This wasn't Alex, he didn't act like this. He wouldn't just quit the one job he loved. Something had to be wrong, she knew it.

"I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but we've been working like crazy to figure out something for you two to do tonight. Hopefully this plan will be alright with you two."

Chris nodded. "Yeah its fine."

"You two can go then." Cornette nodded towards the door.

The two nodded as they stood, still completely surprised by Alex's actions. Before they could leave the room, Cornette stopped them for a brief moment.

"I don't know Mr. Shelley personally, nor do I want to, but I could tell by the way he was acting that something was up. I know you two are close to him, so I encourage you to talk to him. In all my life I haven't had one person up and quit on me like that. You may want to check up and see if he's alright." Cornette advised.

Chris nodded as he led Cassie out of the room

"Can't believe that guy." Chris shook his head, annoyance crossing his face. "How can he be so selfish to just quit like that? It's a good thing they could come up with something else for us. He doesn't think of anyone but himself does he?"

Cassie shot him a glance. "I think something's wrong Chris."

"Come on Cas, he's just being a jackass." He rolled his eyes.

She shook her head however, insistent that something was wrong. She could feel it. The moment she had walked into the studio something felt off. She ignored it earlier, figuring it was just apprehensive of the night's activities. But now, she could see it was for a different reason. Something was wrong, and she couldn't just let it go. No matter how much Alex may hurt her and break her heart, deep down he would always be her best friend. Nothing would ever change that.

"I can feel it Chris. There's something wrong."

"Cas, you just got happy. Your moving on, don't do this to yourself." He grabbed the phone she had pulled out and was no doubt going to call Alex. "Just let it go sweetie. You don't deserve more of his drama."

"But Chris!" she reached for her phone.

He slipped it in his pocket though with a shake of his head. "He's fine Cassie; he just wants to ruin everyone else's life."

She frowned as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her towards his locker room.

"You'll see, it'll all turn out alright."

* * *

Alex sat alone in the dark bathroom in his hotel room. He had been sitting there since he had gotten back from quitting. He couldn't do anything but just sit there. He wanted for the pain he felt to just disappear. He hated feeling like this. Was this what Cassie felt when he broke her heart? If so, he could understand now. He could understand the lingering pain she was feeling.

The events from this morning haunted Alex. He tried to close his eyes, to clear his head, but it would always come back. The constant reminder that everything was a lie was always there. It wouldn't go away, as much as he pleaded for it to.

He just wanted everything to go back to how it was before everything happened. He wished he had never been with Jackie. This never would have happened if he just grew up and went after Cassie the second time she ran off. If only he had done that, he would be happy with her right now, not feeling this tormenting pain he was feeling. He couldn't take this. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't he just have one thing happen right for him? Why couldn't the pregnancy be true? Why couldn't he just be happy?

* * *

"What's up Cas?" Traci glanced across the room to the blonde. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know." She looked up from her lap where she was deep in thought. "I think so. But I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Traci walked over, sitting down beside her on the bench.

"Alex quit. He just quit and left." Cassie sighed, still not able to believe he could just do that.

Traci raised an eyebrow, shock crossing her face. "He just quit? Why?"

"No one knows. Cornette said it looked like something was up with him. But Chris thinks he's just being an attention hog." She bit her lip. "I don't know though. This doesn't seem like Alex. I know that a lot's been going on between Alex and me for awhile, but I still know him. He wouldn't do this. He just wouldn't up and quit without a really good reason."

"So then why would he do it?" Traci wondered.

"I don't know." Cassie sighed in frustration.

"Do you think Jackie would know?" Traci suggested.

"Oh!" Cassie's eyes widened. "I never thought to track her down!"

"Well let's go find her." Traci dragged her friend off the bench and towards the door.

The two hurried down the hallway, asking anyone they could find where Jackie was. They were directed by Christy that she had just gone to the bathroom. They quickly shot around the corner and towards the women's bathroom. They were about to enter when Cassie stopped them. Her face scrunched up in thought as she heard a voice inside the room. She held a finger to her lips, silently telling Traci to keep quiet. Traci nodded as the two women stood close to the door to listen in on the conversation inside.

"Yes I know Charlie, that's great. I'm happy we can be together too. What about Shelley though?" Jackie asked carelessly, unaware of the two listening outside. "Oh baby! He hit you! I'm sorry. I'll make it all better when I see you tonight."

Cassie's eyes narrowed. That bitch was cheating on Alex! She wanted to go in there and kill Jackie, but was stopped by Traci.

"So he knows the pregnancy was a fake? What the hell Charlie! Yeah I know, but you didn't have to tell him! Yeah fine. I know. There's a rumor he quit. I don't know. I don't really care. Look I'm going to just leave now, what's the point of being here. Everyone thinks I'm pregnant anyways. I'll just make up an excuse. Alright baby, see you soon."

If Cassie thought she wanted to kill Jackie before, she wanted to absolutely tear her apart by now. She was about to push the door open when it was pulled open by Jackie herself. She seemed surprised Cassie and Traci were right there, but flashed on a fake smile. It was quickly wiped off however as Cassie jumped at her, tackling her to the ground in the bathroom.

"Get the hell off me bitch." Jackie scratched at Cassie's face.

Cassie yelped as one of her freakishly long nails cut her cheek. That just drove her anger even more. She pulled at Jackie's hair before punching the woman. She wanted to kill her, to make her feel the pain she had put everyone else through. How could she do that to Alex? What kind of person did that?

"Cas, come on." Traci tried to urge her friend to stop from the sidelines. She was in no way going to try and stop her physically. She knew Cassie well enough to know not to mess with her. "Cas!"

Cassie ignored her pleas however as she and Jackie rolled around the floor a few times before Jackie found her way on top.

"Bitch!" she slapped at Cassie's face.

Cassie went to punch at her again, but Jackie's fit met her nose first. She winced as she could feel blood starting to trickle down from her nose.

"Shit!" Traci exclaimed before hurrying out of the room, hoping to find someone who could help. At spotting Bobby Roode and Eric Young she ran over to them, yanking on their arms. "You have to come, they've gone crazy. They're going to kill each other!"

Both men shot her confused looks but let her drag them to the women's bathroom. As they peered in the Canadians were shocked to see the two women fighting on the floor. They rolled a few times before Bobby and Eric hurried over and pulled Jackie off of Cassie. Bobby held onto Jackie tightly while Cassie was helped up by Eric. As soon as she was on her feet she lunged at Jackie. Eric however swiftly caught her around the waist and held her back.

"What's going on?" Bobby looked between the two.

"That bitch attacked me!" Jackie accused, fighting to get out of Bobby's grasps. However it was no use as Bobby was more than twice her size.

"Cassie?" Eric looked down at the struggling woman. "What happened?"

"She cheated on Alex! She lied about being pregnant!" Cassie growled. "Let me at her Eric!"

"I didn't lie! I am pregnant you crazy bitch!" Jackie tried to lie.

"Uh uh honey, I heard you too." Traci shook her head angrily. "How could you lie about being pregnant?"

"I…I…" Jackie looked around with a scared look on her face before her gaze fell on Cassie. Her face hardened. "Because you're a skank! Alex and I were together and then you had to come back and try and ruin everything. He loved you; he never gave me a second glance. I hate you for ruining what could have been a great relationship. But you two had to kiss! You ruined everything!"

"So you lied about being pregnant?" Traci glared. "You don't do that."

"I had to keep Alex mine somehow! And it worked too!"

"Fucking bitch!" Cassie tried to get away from Eric, wanting to rip her apart limb by limb.

"I should let you go." Eric muttered as he shot a dark look at Jackie, who Bobby had now detached himself of. "But she'll get hers one day."

"Come on Eric, just let me at her!" Cassie struggled.

Eric shook his head however as he dragged her from the room, Bobby and Traci closely behind them. She didn't stop struggling until she was pushed into Team Canada's locker room. She immediately attempted for the door but Bobby stood his place in front of the exit.

"What's going on?" Scott watched them with a frown.

"Jackie lied about being pregnant." Traci answered, watching Cassie slowly a she just stood there, fists clenched, breathing heavily as she glared at the floor.

"She what?" Petey's eyes widened.

"I knew it!" Chris growled. "We knew she was lying all along. The bitch!"

"I'm going to kill her." Petey stood up angrily.

"Sit down Petey, your not going to kill anyone." Scott shot him a warning look.

Petey grumbled a few choice words but sat down anyways. Scott walked over and laid a hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"Cassie?"

"He knew. He knew she was lying. That's why he quit." She whispered. "I knew something was wrong. I knew it."

"Cassie, it's alright, we'll go talk with Alex and…"

"No, it's not alright." Her head shot up. "No. I need to go find Alex. Now."

"But we have a show." Chris pointed out.

"I don't care." Cassie shook her head. "I can feel it Chris. I can feel something isn't right. I need to find him."

* * *

**A/N: **uh oh! this doesn't seem to be heading in a very good direction. how evil am I?


	82. Chapter 82

**__**

WARNING: Dark and possibly Disturbing scenes

* * *

**Chapter Eighty Two: Open Up Your Eyes**

"Alex! Alex open up!" Cassie knocked on the door loudly, wishing the man would hurry up and open up. "Please Alex!"

"Maybe he's not there." Petey bit his lip.

"He has to be here." She shook her head. "He has to be. Alex! Come on Alex!"

Chris watched as she banged on the door. She looked like she was going to fall apart at any moment. Everything seemed to be moving in fast forward for them all. They had gone to Cornette and pleaded to let them go. Cornette agreed, but only after Cassie fought her title match. She was put into a match with Gail, and wrestled probably her worst match to date. She couldn't think straight inside that ring while knowing Alex was somewhere, hurt and in pain. She couldn't concentrate on a match like that. So she dropped the title. Everyone was shocked she was willing to just drop the title like that. But she did. The title meant nothing to her. Alex was her best friend, he was everything. She would give up the world for him.

"I still can't believe you dropped the title." Chris muttered as he leaned against the wall.

"Not now Chris." Cassie shot him a glare. "I don't really care about it. Alex!"

"He's not here Cas." Petey laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let's just go and look somewhere else. Or call him."

"He won't answer." Chris shook his head.

"He has to be here. Come on Alex, Open up! Please Alex! Please!"

"Come on Cas, he could be somewhere else." Petey tried to pull her away from the door.

"No!" she snapped back away from him, tears in her eyes. "I can feel it Petey. He's in there. I know it!"

Petey shot Chris a look, who shrugged. Neither knew what to do.

"I need to get in there." She kicked at the door in frustration. "Come on Alex!"

Chris ran a hand down his face before coming up with an idea. "I'll go to the front desk and try and get a key."

"Good plan. I'll come with you. We'll make up some excuse." Petey nodded. "Will you be okay here?"

She waved them off as she continued banging. Alex had to be in there. He just had to be. She could feel something was terribly wrong. She needed to get in there.

* * *

Alex grazed a finger over the sharp edge of the razor. He winced as he pricked his finger. But the physical pain was a nice distraction from everything else. He didn't want to feel this pain any longer. He wanted it all to end. He wanted everything to stop. He needed the pain to go away. He needed the world to just stop spinning. He wanted to just be happy.

This would make him happy.

He could just end it all; take it all away so quickly. He had done it before and it helped. It helped to take the pain away temporarily. But this time it wouldn't be temporary. It would end the pain all together.

Alex laid the cool metal of the razor on his wrist. He nearly jumped at the feeling on his bare skin. He shook it off though as he pushed the sharp edge hard against his wrist until he could feel it pierce through the skin. He bit his lip as he slid it across, protruding blood. His eyes closed tightly as he paused to relish in the pain.

He didn't know physical pain felt this good. But anything was better than what he felt within his heart. He had to make it all stop. He had to make everything just stop.

He pulled the razor across his wrist again, cutting another rigid line. And another. And another. The pain would usually be unbearable, but he enjoyed it. The more he slid that razor across his wrist, the more relief he felt.

* * *

"Alex!" Cassie shouted as she continued to bang on the door. She was growing tired by the constant action but she couldn't stop. She had to get in there, she had to see him. She felt a tug a tug at her heart as she felt something horrible happening. "Alex!"

"Got the key." Chris came jogging up. "Promised a date to the girl."

Cassie didn't care as she hurriedly took the card key and slid it into the slot. She pushed the door open and blinked as they entered the pitch black room.

"Alex?" she called out, hoping he was here. "Alex!"

* * *

Alex laid his head against the back of the wall as the blood flowed from both wrists now. He breathed deeply as he closed his eyes tightly. Relief. It was the greatest feeling right now. All he could feel was the pain from his wrists, from the cuts he had formed with the help of the razor. He couldn't feel any more emotional pain. He almost wanted to smile. But he couldn't. He knew it would only be temporarily. He had to continue. He had to finish it off.

He swore he could hear Cassie's voice at that moment. He shook his head. He couldn't think of her. If he did, he would surely stop. She would be so much better off without him here. All Alex had done was hurt her. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve anything. She was better off without him in her life. She could finally be happy. They both could be happy.

He slid the razor across his wrist a few more times before tiny black dots began to block his vision. His breathing became slower as he tried to shake the splatters away.

* * *

"Maybe he's in the bathroom." Petey suggested.

Cassie nodded as she tried to maneuver around the dark room. She made it to the bathroom door safely and laid a hand on it. She grasped onto the knob and turned it. As the door opened, she could hardly see anything in the small dark room. She squinted and was shocked to see the outline of a body sitting in the corner. She raked her hand around the bathroom wall for a moment before finding the light switch. As the light flashed on, she couldn't believe the sight before her. Alex sat in the corner of the room, his wrists in his lap, blood covering him and the floor below.

"Oh my god." A hand rose to her gaping mouth.

She couldn't believe it as she rushed over to Alex, hoping to god he would be alright. She slid down beside him, shaking his shoulders. She pleaded with Alex to open his eyes. She pleaded for him to talk to her. She could feel the tears fall down her cheeks as his head lolled lifelessly to the side.

"No." she shook her head, refusing to believe he could be gone. She continued to shake him, to wake him up. But he wouldn't. He was completely lifeless.

"Shit." Chris and Petey rushed into the room. Chris grabbed a towel and immediately wrapped it around his bloody wrists.

"I found a pulse!" Petey exclaimed, fingers at Alex's neck. "Barely."

"Call 911." Chris urged before watching Cassie shake him. "It's okay Cassie; it's going to be okay."

"Alex! Please Alex! You can't do this to me." she sobbed, holding onto Alex's form tightly. "You can't leave me Alex. Please! I love you. You can't do this. Please Alex, please!"

"They're on their way." Petey walked back into the room. "Shit, why Alex."

Chris didn't know what to say as he tried to stop the bleeding. He felt completely numb as Cassie sobbed up against Alex, her world being pulled apart. His own world felt like it was crashing down.

This couldn't be happening.

_For the first time you can open your eyes_

_And see the world without your sorrow_

_Where no one knows the pain you left behind_

_And all the peace you could never find_

_Is waiting there to hold and keep you_

_Welcome to the first day of your life_

_Just open up your eyes_

* * *

**A/N: **OMG! is he going to make it! ONOES!!!!!

I would just like to state, that the end of the story is actually coming alot quicker than i anticipated...probably two or so chapters at the most.


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter Eighty Three:**

"Any updates?" Roderick questioned as he and half of the TNA locker room piled into the waiting room later that night.

"Not yet." Chris gulped as he ran a hand through the sleeping woman's hair. She had cried herself to sleep, her head in his lap. He himself felt like crying. But he had to be strong, for her sake.

"God, why would he do this?" Petey's voice cracked as he repeated the statement for the hundredth time since they had gotten to the hospital two hours earlier. "Why?"

"He was in pain." Eric sighed. "I couldn't imagine going through that. As miserable as he was, he was happy about having a kid. Genuinely happy about that. And it was all a lie."

"I just can't believe it." Austin rubbed at his eyes roughly, not wanting to show the emotions he was feeling.

They all sat in silence as the fell into deep thought. Scott had gotten the call moments after they had arrived at the hospital. Word had gotten around and everyone in TNA was showing up to show their support. No one could believe what had happened this night. Even off to the side, Jeff Jarrett and Jim Cornette sat, concerned looks on their faces. Alex had gotten on everyone's nerves at some point. But no one wished death upon the man. And now they were all faced with that possibility. Alex hadn't woken up, and had bled a good amount by the time the paramedics had put him in the ambulance. Now it was up to a miracle to save Alex's life.

"That jackass better get through this." AJ muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Poor Cassie. This must be killing her."

"She won't be the same if he doesn't make it." Daniels agreed, looking over at the sleeping woman with sympathy.

"Let's just hope he makes it." Scott glanced around at everyone. He was surprised at everyone that was here. Even those that weren't friends at all with Alex, like Jay Reso and Americas Most Wanted, were sitting with everyone, looking just as glum. If nothing else, this had brought everyone back together as a family.

"Has anyone called Jimmy?" Roderick asked.

"Crap." Petey sighed. "We forgot to during everything happening."

"I'll go call him." Traci, her eyes red, patted his hand and stood up.

Petey nodded as he watched her leave. His gaze fell back on Cassie and he felt like crying. He couldn't believe any of this was happening. He wished he could turn back time and stop Alex. As much as Alex pissed him off, he was still one of his best friends. Petey couldn't imagine not having Alex around. He was always able to lighten a situation and put a smile on anyone's face. He didn't think he, or anyone of them, would be able to get through this if Alex didn't make it.

"Are you all here for Mr. Shelley?"

Everyone looked up as a Doctor hesitantly approached the large group. Chris quickly shook Cassie awake, knowing she'd want to hear what he would say. Scott was the first to stand, shaking the doctor's hand.

"How is he?" Petey immediately questioned.

"He's stable at the moment. He lost quite a lot of blood by the time he was brought in. We gave him multiple blood transfusions and he's resting at the currently moment." The doctor glanced around at everyone, amazed at the amount of people.

"Is he going to be alright?" Cassie asked softly, her eyes wide with fear.

"As I said, he's stable, but we won't know the extent of any side effects of the blood loss until Mr. Shelley wakes up."

"What side effects?' Chris asked.

The doctor sighed. "With a sufficient amount of blood loss, patients can often have effects concerning brain damage and the heart. We're taking every precaution possible to make sure neither situation happens. However, we won't know the extent of any side effects until Mr. Shelley wakes up."

"How long could that be?"

"Anywhere between a few hours to days. There's no definite timeline unfortunately."

Cassie's face fell.

"I understand that you call care about this young man, but I would suggest going home and getting some sleep. It could be awhile until he wakes up. Come back tomorrow during visiting hours." The doctor suggested.

"Can we go see him?" Chris asked quickly. He refused to leave. And he had a feeling a handful of them felt the same way.

The doctor eyed them all with a frown. "I can only allow a few of you too. Visiting hours have ended, but considering the circumstance, I can allow a few to go into his room."

"You three go." Scott nodded at Petey, Chris, and Cassie. "You three need to see him."

"If you follow me, I can show you to his room."

The three quickly followed the doctor. Chris and Petey grasped onto either of Cassie's hands as the hurried to the room. None of them wanted to waste a moment to be with the man. As they reached Alex' room, Cassie tensed up. Seeing Alex lie on the hospital bed, looking absolutely lifeless, it scared her. She didn't want to believe that he could possibly die. She didn't know what she would do if that happened. It couldn't happen.

"If you need anything or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask the nurses to page me." the doctor smiled before shuffling off down the hall.

Petey was the first to enter the room, hesitantly taking a step towards Alex. Chris softly pulled Cassie into the room, closing the door for privacy.

"He looks so lifeless." Petey sighed, taking a seat at beside.

"I know." Chris led Cassie over to the other seat and motioned for her to sit down. "I just can't believe it."

"At least there's a chance he'll make it." Petey pointed out positively.

"Yeah." Chris nodded, watching as Cassie grasped onto Alex's hand, a tear falling down her cheek. Chris pulled a chair up beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "He's going to make it sweetie. He's a fighter."

"If he was a fighter he wouldn't be here right now." She choked out.

"He was hurt, and clearly going through a lot of pain. He was at his breaking point. He's just human. He made a mistake." Petey shot her a sympathetic look. "He'll make it though.

Cassie looked over Alex's pale face and her bottom lip began to quiver. She grasped onto his hand tighter with one hand, while the other lightly traced the heavy bandages on his wrists, trying not to pull out any of the wires attached to him. She hated seeing him like this. She felt absolutely helpless. All she could do was pray that he would wake up and be alright. And that killed Cassie. She wished she could go back in time and fix everything. She wished she had been there sooner. If she had been, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe he wouldn't have been lying in this hospital bed hanging on an inch of his life.

* * *

It had been three days and Alex had still not woken up. Cassie refused to leave his side, and stayed perched in the chair beside his bed every moment of the day. Everyone had come and gone through out the days at the hospital, every one wanting to check up on the Detroit native. Scott had become a permanent fixture in the waiting room, making sure everyone was getting fed as they waited it out in Alex's room.

At that moment, Petey and Chris were asleep in their chairs, lying awkwardly as they tried to find a comfortable position. Cassie sighed as she shifted in her own chair. She wished Alex would just wake up already. She needed him to wake up. All she wanted was to be able to see that contagious smile of his. She wanted to hear him laugh, for him to crack a joke. She wanted to see the way his eyes sparkled whenever he was happy. She missed everything about him, and it had only been 3 days. She couldn't imagine a lifetime without him.

"Cassie," A voice whispered from the doorway.

She moved her head and was relieved to see Jimmy standing at the door, a worried look plastered on his face.

"Hey." She stood, hugging him in greeting. "I'm glad you're here."

"I would have come sooner but it was a bitch to get a flight." He apologized before glancing over her shoulder at his lifeless friend. "Holy shit. I expected the worse, but wow. He looks like the life's been sucked out of him."

"I know." She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. She had done enough crying in the past few days to rival what she had gone through in the past month. She was tired of crying. She just wanted to be happy. And in order for that to happen, she needed Alex to be okay.

"How have you been holding up sweetie?" He wrapped an arm around her as she led him back to her chair, pulling an empty one up beside her.

Cassie shrugged. "Not that great to be honest. I just want him to wake up."

"I know babe." Jimmy shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this. So Jackie was lying about everything?"

"Yes" Cassie growled. She wanted to kill Jackie. It was her fault Alex was here right now. If she hadn't of lied, than Alex wouldn't have wanted to kill himself. If she was ever given the chance, she was going to rip Jackie apart for what she had done to her best friend

"I'm sorry this is happening." Jimmy pulled her into a hug. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Build a time machine?"

"I'll get right on that sweetie." He attempted a smile.

"Keep it down, I'm trying to get my beauty sleep" Petey mumbled from the corner as he cracked an eye open. "You got here!"

Jimmy chuckled. "Great observation dumbass."

Petey grumbled as he shot him a glare. He glanced over at Chris for a moment before throwing something at the man. Chris jumped up, his eyes wide as he looked wildly around the room. The others laughed at his antics, making Chris blush as he quickly sat back down.

"Shut up. Not nice." He pouted.

"Man up" Jimmy smirked.

"When did you get here?"

"Just now." Jimmy answered "Speaking of which, you guys look like you haven't eaten anything in awhile, want me to grab you anything?"

"We may as well head to the cafeteria." Petey shrugged before standing up, stretching. He frowned as his back cracked loudly. "These chairs are horrible."

"Tell me about it." Chris sighed as he stood and repeated Petey's actions. "Never again."

Jimmy shook his head as he went to follow the two out of the room. He stopped however as he realized Cassie wasn't with them. "Cas, you coming?"

"I'm not leaving." She shook her head.

"She hasn't left unless she's really had to." Petey sighed. "Nothing is going to happen while we're gone for twenty minutes."

"But…what if he wakes up and I'm not here? Or what if…" she trailed of, biting her lip. She couldn't even voice her main concern. She didn't want to jinx anything.

"Nothing will happen sweetie." Chris went over and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I promise. He'll be fine."

"But…"

"Come on Cas, you haven't even changed since we got here days ago." Petey pointed out. "Alex wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

She bowed her head. "I just don't want to leave him. He could wake up and think we don't care cuz we're not here."

"Alright, how about this," Petey took a step further into the room. "I'll stay while you guys go get some food and freshen up, and if anything happens, I'll get you guys immediately."

"I don't know." Cassie seemed hesitant.

"Please Cas." Petey pleaded with her.

She sighed but nodded. "Fine."

"Great!" Chris grabbed her arm and immediately pulled her from the room; he didn't want her to change her mind.

* * *

Petey sat in the room silently, twiddling his thumbs as he tried to figure out something to do. His IPod had died hours ago, and his phone was on the verge of following suit. He hated being in this room. The only thing to do was stare at Alex's lifeless form, and that was far from what he wanted to do. He couldn't handle seeing him lying there, as if he were dead. But he wasn't, that's what he had to remind himself of. Somewhere in there, Alex was alive. He just wished he would wake up. He couldn't take just waiting here, not knowing what would happen. He needed something, anything to happen.

It was at that moment that the heart monitor began to increase its beeping. Petey frowned as he stood, about to walk over to inspect what was wrong. However, he was quickly pushed to the side as nursed rushed into the room.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave sir." A nurse began pushing him from the room.

He didn't even get a chance to speak before the door was closed on him. All he could do was watch through the little window in the door, watching as the nurses and doctors gathered around Alex's body. Petey's heart began beating fast as his face paled. He hoped to god Alex was alright. But as he saw the crash cart and defibrillators being brought out, Petey panicked. This couldn't be happening. Please god let him be alright. It couldn't end this way.

"Petey? Petey what's going on?" Cassie came hurrying over. She took one glance at her face and paled herself. "What happened?"

"I don't know." He whispered, his eyes glued to the scene before him.

Cassie pushed him away lightly as she peeked through the window. She immediately shot back though as she watched them use the defibrillators on Alex's chest.

"What happened Pete?" Jimmy questioned.

"I was just sitting there bored and then that happened." Petey shook is head in disbelief. "Oh god"

"Oh please god let him be alright." Cassie wrapped her arms around herself, praying that Alex could make it through this.

It felt like an eternity that the four friends stood outside the room, waiting for anything to happen. Soon the nurses began to slowly leave the room, Alex's doctor being the last. He spotted the four and immediately sent them a somber look.

"He went into cardiac arrest. We were able to stabilize him, but this may not be the end of it I'm afraid."

"He's going to be alright though, right?" Cassie pleaded.

"At this point, I'm not sure. I'm sorry."

* * *

**A/N: **I would just like to mention that that last chapter was probably the hardest thing I've ever written. I even cried while writing it.

Poor Alex, he's still hanging on for his life :( btw, i totally made the whole heart/brain thing up as side effects to blood loss....i have no idea what side effects are....so for drama purposes, we'll all pretend its those hahaha


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter Eighty Four:**

Cassie slept with her head on the edge of Alex's hospital bed, her hand clutching his. Chris, Petey, and Jimmy were no where to be found as the blonde woman slept. It was the first time she had fallen asleep since being in the hospital. She always felt guilty about leaving Alex, if only for a few hours, while she slept. What if he woke up while she was out? But this night, she just couldn't help but drift off to sleep. She was exhausted, and her body was finally catching up to her.

There had been no sign of change since Alex's cardiac arrest the day before. He was still sleeping silently on the bed. The only welcoming difference was that Alex was no longer as pale as when they had first seen him. There was definite color back in his cheeks, which gave the four friends hope.

As the woman slept soundlessly, she was unaware of a finger twitching. It became still for a brief moment before twitching again. Ever so slowly, each finger on the hand began twitching, curling itself around the hand it was in. a groan emitted from the bed as two brown eyes popped open.

Alex moaned as his eyesight was blurry. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. Once it had, he moved his head a touch, a small smile crossing his face as he saw Cassie sleeping with her head facing away from him. He wanted to reach out and graze her soft blonde hair, but found one hand to be trapped. He glanced down and his smile widened as he saw Cassie's hand clutch at his own, as if her life depended on it.

He tried to remember what had happened, what had led to being in this hospital bed, wires attached to him. That's when everything came racing back. Jackie had lied about being pregnant. Pain crossed Alex's face as he remembered the events that followed afterwards. His whole world had broken down. He had seen no meaning in living any longer. So he tried to end his life, to rid the pain he felt. He tried so hard to make it happen this time, for this to be the end. But it hadn't worked. He was still alive. He could still feel the pain.

He willed it to stop, for everything to stop hurting. But the pain had come back. He silently cursed, wishing he could have just died. All he wanted was to be happy. But that couldn't happen here, not with all of this pain. Why couldn't he just die?

Alex looked down at his bandaged wrists, angry that he didn't cut deep enough. But there was next time. He could still make this right. All he had to do was cut a bit deeper this time, and everything would be fine. That's all he had to do.

He reached down with his free hand and pulled his hand out of Cassie's grasp. He immediately began trying to rip the bandages off his wrist. He needed to cut again. He needed to rid this pain. He couldn't take it. He couldn't be here any longer. He had to make it end.

At the rustling sound, Cassie began to groan as she slowly began to wake. Alex froze as he saw her move slightly. He couldn't let her see him like this, trying to kill himself again. But he couldn't just slip his hand back in hers and pretend he was asleep; she would surely notice the movement. So he lay there, frozen to the spot as Cassie sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It took a moment before realizing there was someone staring at her. Her eyes grew wide as she saw Alex awake.

"Alex! You're alive!"

She seemed so happy to see him awake, Alex felt horrible. He knew it would hurt her if he succeeded next time. But she could understand the pain. He just wasn't as strong as she was. He couldn't handle the pain. He wanted it to stop. He needed to rid this pain. He thrived for relief.

She went to grasp at his hand, but realized he was holding his wrist, trying to pull the bandage off. She looked up at his face, into his sorrow filled eyes, and seemed to immediately understand.

"Alex, don't." She pleaded with him, tears coming to her eyes as she tried to pull his wrist free. "Don't."

"I have to Cassie." He moved away from her, successfully pulling the bandage off his one wrist. He ran a hand over the thin scars on his wrist, wincing slightly.

"You can't do this to me Alex." Her bottom lip began to quiver. How could he still want to do this? Didn't he understand what they had all gone through? "Please, don't do this. Don't think about doing this."

Alex shook his head as he went to work on his other wrist. He wasn't sure how he was going to find something to do the deed with, but he didn't care. He was determined to make it happen this time. And while seeing a tear slide down Cassie's cheek was heartbreaking, he had to ignore her. He had to do this.

"Alex stop." She grabbed at his hands, fighting to pull them away. She was standing now, her face pleading with him to stop. "Just stop it Alex!"

"I have to do this. I want it to stop." He fought against her.

"Alex!" the tears began to fall harder. "I need you here. I need you Alex. Please don't take away the only thing in my life."

"Your better off without me." he shook his head, his eyes growing sadder. "You don't deserve me. No one deserves me. I'll be making everyone happy by finishing off what I started."

"I'm not better off without you! I need you Alex! We all need you! Please. I can help you."

"No you can't. You're stronger than I am Cassie. I can't handle the pain. I can't handle feeling this way. I need it to go away."

"I can help it go away. Just let me help you Alex." She held onto his hands tightly, refusing to let him go. She wasn't going to let him leave her, not like this.

"No."

"Please Alex, don't do this to me!" her legs grew week and collapsed back down in the chair, still holding onto his hands tightly. She sobbed as she begged him to stop. "Please Alex please."

Alex closed his eyes tightly. He couldn't take this. He couldn't take seeing her cry. He didn't want to put her through this. He didn't want to hurt her. All he wanted to do was hold her and tell her everything would be alright. But it wouldn't be alright. He was in pain, and that wouldn't change. No matter how much this would hurt her, he had to do it. It was for the best.

"I can't do this without you Alex. I need you. I need you Alex!" she sobbed. "Please don't leave me."

Her hold on his hands loosened as she began to sob harder. A tear fell down his own cheek as he just lied there and watched her cry. He quickly brushed it away with a hand before tearing the other bandage off his wrist. Once his scarred wrists were free, he looked around the room, hoping to find something he could use. But there was nothing sharp enough for the deed. He looked every which way, but couldn't find a thing. Growing frustrated, he angrily pulled the wires off his chest and arm and pushed back the sheets covering him. He attempted to get out of bed but was stopped by the sobbing woman.

"I love you Alex, please don't leave me."

Alex looked over his shoulder at the woman staring over at him. He completely broke down. He sat back on the bed, tugging at her hands, pulling her towards him. He didn't stop the tears that were falling down his cheeks as he held her. He wanted the pain to stop. He wanted to be happy. But he couldn't let her feel the same pain. He couldn't let her feel the same way he was. Not again. So he held her.

She was curled up beside him now in the bed, sobbing into his chest. He held onto her tightly, his own tears falling freely. He wasn't sure how long they had been lying there, but Cassie had begun to grow silent. He peeked down at her and saw that she had cried herself to sleep, exhausted by the events. Alex sighed as he stared up at the white ceiling. He didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted the pain to stop, for everything to just stop. But he couldn't bear to hurt Cassie again. He had done enough of that in his life. So what did he do? Did he finish what he started? Or did he live through the pain for her?

* * *

Chris and Petey wandered through the halls of the hospital, making their way back to Alex's room. Jimmy was off in the waiting room, entertaining members of the TNA locker room. It had been four days, and everyone was getting stir crazy. They just wanted the man to wake up and be alright.

"So how long do you think it'll be?" Petey asked as they slowed, nearing the desired room.

"At this rate, awhile I'm suspected" Chris frowned. "Who knows though. Maybe we'll get a miracle."

Petey nodded as they reached the room and was about to head in. However, he stopped in his spot as he glanced towards the bed. Lying, fast asleep, was Cassie in Alex's arms. Last that they had checked, Cassie was asleep in the chair. Had Alex woken up?

"What dude?" Chris raised an eyebrow as he walked in behind Petey. His eyes widened as he followed Petey's gaze. "Did he…"

"I don't know." Petey took a step into the room for further inspection. He caught site of the bandages lying on the bed, ripped off his wrists, as well as the wires from his body. "I'm guessing so. Cassie wouldn't have done this."

Chris nodded as he tried to take everything in. Alex had woken up. He was okay. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Should we wake them up?" Petey asked as they watched the two sleep.

"They look so peaceful though" Chris shook his head, a small smile falling over his face. "Let's just let them be for a bit. We can go tell everyone he's awake and then try and find his doctor. Let's just give them some time alone."

Petey agreed as they quietly left the room, happy that their friend was finally alright. As the door closed, Alex opened an eye, thankful that the other two were gone. He hadn't been able to sleep at all since waking up earlier. But he felt too guilty to see Petey and Chris yet, so he acted as if he was asleep. He couldn't take what they would say. Would they think he was weak for what he had done? Would they hate him?

He sighed as he glanced down at the sleeping woman beside him. Despite everything, despite all the pain he felt, he loved the feeling of her beside him. He couldn't help but feel chills run up his spine as she shifted into him. He loved her, that would never change. He would always care for her, no matter what would happen to him. She was his first true love that was something he could never forget. He wanted more than anything to be with her, to be able to kiss, to wake up next to her. He had wanted that for years. He had to refuse her that pleasure, because of Jackie. But he could be with her now. There was nothing in their way. It could just be them, together and happy.

Alex found the more he thought about the prospect of Cassie and him together, the less pain he felt. He would never forget the ordeal Jackie had put him through. But as he held onto Cassie tighter, his fingers grazing softly through her blonde hair, he could feel his heart flutter. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, but he almost felt like he could make it. Maybe if he could be with her, the pain would just go away. Maybe she was his relief?

"I love you." He mumbled, pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face, mesmerized by how beautiful she was.

"Love you too." She muttered back.

Surprise fell over his face as she shifted for a moment, a hand running over her face as she woke up. She moved her head up, looking into his brown eyes.

"Hi."

"Hi." He couldn't help the smile crossing his face. How could he not smile when she was around? She was his angel, his guardian angel.

"I don't want you to leave me Alex." The plea came out softly.

It broke his heart to see her hazel eyes staring up at him in that way.

"Please Alex, I can help you. I can get you through this. Just don't leave me. I can't do this all without you. I need you here." She grasped at one of his hands. "Please Alex. Please don't try this again. Please. Promise me you won't do this. Promise me Alex. Please."

He wasn't sure why, but at that moment he believed he could get through this. He could get through anything as long as she was there holding his hand. She could make the worse pain in the world disappear with a single smile. He knew at that moment that the only thing he wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her.

"I promise." He raised a hand to cup her cheek. "I promise."

She smiled as she dug her head into his chest, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Thank you Alex."

He smiled as he pulled her closer. All he wanted was for her to stay by his side. And for the first time in his life, he felt like that could happen. There was nothing in their way now. They could finally be together.

"Cas?"

"Hm?" she lifted her head a touch, staring up at him.

"After this, when I get out of here and it's over and done with, do you think we could…you and I…we could maybe try…" he paused for a moment, hesitant. But with an encouraging smile from Cassie, he continued. "Could we try, you know, you and me. Together?"

Cassie could feel tears pop back into her eyes as he finished.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" he frowned, noticing the tears.

She shook her head however as she rubbed the tears away. "You said everything right. I would love to Alex. I don't want anything else but to be with you."

His smile widened. "I love you."

She smiled herself as she leant up, their faces only within inches of another.

"I love you too. I will forever love you."

The two stared at one another in the eye for what felt like centuries. Alex eventually couldn't help himself as he tipped his head forward and captured her lips with his own.

It was at that exact moment that Cassie Collins and Alex Shelley had achieved the one thing they had strived years for.

They were happy.

* * *

**A/N:** it had to happen at some point. Its the end. an epilogue is following moments after this is posted. but its done. can you believe it? eighty something chapters, a few years, and its done. wow. I feel completely...i don't even know how i feel. This is one story i was really behind, really loved. it feels like the end of an era. its crazy.

I would just like to say THANK YOU to everyone that has read and/or reviewed. You have no idea how much your support has helped me. This wouldnt have even gotten finished if it weren't for all of you. so thank you.

I may do a sequel, i'm stll contemplating that idea around. If i do do one however, it probably won't be until i get a few other stories done. So for now, this is the end of Cassie and Alex's story.

thanks for sticking by me through this story. i appreciate it :)


	85. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

_6 months later_

"You two disgust me." Chris pulled a face as he watched Alex pull Cassie down onto his lap, kissing her.

Cassie chuckled as she swatted Alex playfully. "You're just old and alone."

"I'm not old!" Chris pouted, pulling on an elbow pad. "I resent that."

"I resent that you resent that." Cassie stuck out her tongue, earning a chuckle from Alex.

"So mature babe" he held onto her waist tightly.

"Oh well." She shrugged with a careless laugh. "When's your match?"

"Up next actually." Alex replied cheerfully. "Gen Next reunion!"

Cassie laughed. "Win for me?"

"Of course" he caught her lips, kissing her tentatively. "I love you"

"Love you too." She pulled back with a smile.

"Okay, 1, I'm in the room and 2, I'm in the match too!" Chris stood, pouting even further. "Where's my good luck kiss."

"It's where my fist meets your face." Alex smirked as Cassie hopped off his lap, allowing for him to stand. He pulled her up against his chest and planted another kiss on her lips. "Don't go and get yourself another man while I'm wrestling."

"I'll try and stop my urges." She laughed.

He swatted at her behind before pushing Chris from the room. Cassie smiled as she watched the two go, amused by their antics. She couldn't believe that 6 months after everything had happened, she was happy. She and Alex were together, and it seemed as if nothing could possibly tear them apart.

Cassie left the room and headed towards the women's locker room, wanting to catch up with Traci. She smiled at the brunette as she entered the room, plopping down on the bench across from her.

"Have you told him yet?" Traci asked, not looking up from lacing up her boot. She had a match against Gail that night for the Knockouts title.

Cassie pulled a face. "No."

"You have to tell him at some point. He's going to notice." She shot her a pointed look, to which Cassie frowned and shrugged. "Does Cornette know at least?"

"Yes." Cassie sighed running a hand through her long blonde hair "Cornette knows, Jarrett knows, Management knows, Creative knows."

"Chris and Petey?"

"Yes, pretty much everyone knows but Alex." Cassie rested her head on the wall behind her.

"So why haven't you told him?' Traci questioned.

"Because…" Cassie trailed off.

Traci watched her friend for a moment before realization hit her. "You're scared aren't you? You're scared he's going to think you're lying, because of what Jackie did"

Cassie nodded solemnly. Traci gave her a sympathetic look as she walked over and sat beside the blonde.

"You're not Jackie. You've never lied to him before." She wrapped an arm around Cassie's shoulders. "He's going to be thrilled to hear you're pregnant."

Cassie shrugged. She wasn't so sure. She had just found she was pregnant a few weeks back, but was terrified to tell Alex. She knew that deep down, Alex still was not over the whole ordeal. He had made tremendous progress from where he was 6 months ago, but she still knew it affected him. She didn't want to scare him off, or think she was lying. Cassie knew there was that chance that he wouldn't accept it when she told him the news. And that scared her. She was more than overjoyed she was pregnant with Alex's child, but would he feel the same way?

"You have to tell him Cas." Traci pointed out. "Do it after the show. Just get it over with. He's going to be happy, I promise."

Cassie bit her lip but nodded. Traci was right; she did have to tell him. Eventually he would know something was up when she began to gain weight. While she knew she still had about a month or so until she really showed, she couldn't live with not telling him much longer. She hated the idea of keeping this from him. She was just always too scared to tell him. But maybe tonight would be the best to tell him. Then they could move on and live happily. Yes, tonight had to be the night

"Alright, I'll tell him after his match I guess."

"Great!" Traci's eyes grew excited. "Oh I'm just so excited that you're pregnant. You're actually going to have a kid!"

"I know." Cassie subconsciously laid a hand on her stomach. "I can't believe I'm actually going to have a baby growing inside of me"

"This is so great!" Traci hugged her tightly. "I get to be Aunt Traci! How exciting!"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd be the baby's godmother too." Cassie mentioned a smile on her face.

"Really!" Traci squealed in happiness.

"Your like my sister, there's really no one else I'd rather have to be this baby's godmother but you."

"Aw, I love you Cas!"

"Love you too T, now detach yourself, I can't breathe."

* * *

Cassie fidgeted nervously waiting for Alex to come back from his match. It had just ended and it felt like time was moving horribly slow. She just wanted to get this over and done with. She just wanted him to know.

"Babe!" Alex rushed into the room, his eyes bright. "We won!"

"Congrats." She hugged him tightly. "Where's everyone else?"

"They crashed in Catering" Alex snickered. "And Chris didn't want to see us, and I quite "get all cutesy?"

Cassie laughed. "Course he didn't"

"I'm so pumped." Alex kissed her quickly before heading over to his bag, pulling off his elbow pads. "Maybe this will mean I'll finally get a chance at the title."

"Hopefully" she nodded before remembering what she had to talk to him about. "Alex?"

"Yeah babe?" he bent down to start unlacing his boots.

"Can we talk?"

Alex glanced up and over his shoulder. Noticing the serious look on her face, he nodded and walked up to her, taking her in his arms.

"What's up sweetie?"

She bit her lip. "You know how ah…I didn't wrestle tonight?"

"Yeah, your leg was bothering you. Is there something wrong with it?" worry crossed his face.

She shook her head quickly. "No no. My leg is fine actually."

"Oh, so how come you didn't wrestle?" He seemed confused.

"I er…" She laid a hand on her stomach, unnoticed by Alex. "I didn't want to hurt anything…or anyone."

"I don't get it?" he scratched the back of his neck.

It was now or never.

"Alex…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…I'm pregnant."

Alex's mouth gaped open as shock was written over his face. Cassie bit down on her lip harder, hoping he would take the news alright. She didn't have to worry for long however as he scooped her up in a hug, kissing her neck happily.

"Seriously? This isn't a complete lie is it?" he pulled back suddenly.

She couldn't help but grin as she shook her head. "It's not a lie. I'm pregnant."

"Holy crap Cas!" he twirled her around. "You're pregnant!"

She laughed as she was placed back on her feet. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, relieved that he was happy about it. She had worried about it for nothing. He couldn't be happier to hear she was having his child.

"I can't believe this!" He laid a hand on her flat stomach. "How far along?"

"Five weeks. Found out two weeks ago."

"Wait, two weeks ago? How come you never told me?" he pouted.

"I was scared you wouldn't be happy." She shrugged.

"Of course I would be happy sweetie." He cupped her cheeks. "I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to have a child with you, and only you. I love you Cas."

"I love you too." She raised a hand to lay on his.

He leaned his head down, capturing her lips with his own. Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck as Alex deepened the kiss.

"Marry me."

Cassie's eyes widened as she pulled back from Alex, her arms still around his neck. "What?"

"Marry me." he grinned.

"Again…what?"

Alex laughed. "I love you; I don't want to be with anyone but you. You're having our child. Let's get married. We don't have to do it now; we can wait until after this child is born if you really want to. But I want to get married. I want to know that we're going to be together for the rest of our lives."

"Wow, most unexpected proposal of life." She cocked her head to the side, considering what he was saying. It did seem right. She hadn't felt this happy in a very long time. She knew she never wanted to be with anyone else, and now she was having his baby. It was absolutely perfect in every sense. As crazy as it was, she couldn't help but nod wildly. "Yes. Yes yes yes!"

He kissed her again. "God I love you Cassie Collins!"

"I love you too Alex Shelley."


End file.
